LOS ANGELES, CA – In advance of tomorrow’s City Council meeting, Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez held a press conference to bring together the record-breaking number of women who will be serving on the Council. City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, the first female Los Angeles City Attorney, also joined. At the press conference, the members delivered remarks on the importance of the moment—both personally and for the City of Los Angeles.
For the first time in the history of the Los Angeles City Council, six women will serve on the Council. Those six women are: Councilwoman Rodriguez, Councilmember Nithya Raman, Councilwoman Heather Hutt, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, Councilwoman Katy Young Yaroslavsky, and Councilwoman Traci Park.
For additional context, women set milestones beyond the City of Los Angeles. All five seats on the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors continue to be held by women; 12 women will serve as governors in 2023, breaking the previous record of 9; and 149 women will serve in the United States House of Representatives and Senate, breaking the previous record of 147.
“As the most senior female elected official in Los Angeles City Hall, I wanted to unite my new female elected colleagues because together we aren’t just making history, we’re changing the environment for roles that have not been welcoming to women leadership,” said Councilwoman Rodriguez. “Representation matters, we must ensure that Los Angeles is a place where—both in elected or civilian and sworn employment—women are afforded the same opportunities as men.”
“I’m so honored to be part of this historic moment at City Hall,” said City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto. “Having such smart, talented female leaders holding the highest offices in local government is a huge step forward that will enrich our City as a whole. As the first female City Attorney and first Latina elected to any citywide office in Los Angeles, my goal is to give young Angelenas a sense of empowerment and hope for the future. But we aren’t here simply to shatter glass ceilings, we are here to make fundamental change and create a fairer, more just City that works for everyone.”
“Who runs the world?… Girls!!! Today is history in the making. In the past few years, we’ve had the first female Vice President of the United States, a record number of women who sit in Congress, an all female Board of Supervisors, our first female mayor, first female Latina city attorney and now six women who sit in the horse shoe of city council. This is truly a promising era for women everywhere,” said 10th District Councilwoman, Heather Hutt. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside my fellow council members to change this city for the better and hope to continue to be an influence on young women of color around the world.”
“Representation matters not only for its own sake, but because of the perspectives and experiences women bring to tables where decisions are being made,” said Councilwoman Katy Young Yaroslavsky. “Because she who holds the pen, holds the power. And for too long, women didn’t hold the pens. We weren’t even in the rooms where decisions were being made, and our policies tangibly have suffered and continue to suffer from that lack of representation.”
“Today, we are creating a new path for women in Los Angeles,” said Councilwoman Traci Park. “I am honored to be a part of new city leadership that includes an historic number of strong women. We come from different backgrounds and experiences, and collectively, we span a large ideological spectrum. And while we are not a perfect representation of the diversity of women across LA, we are certainly a good start. We’re ready to get to work and prioritize policies that reflect the fundamental role women play in our City, families, and workplaces. We have a long journey ahead of us and I am proud to be on it with each of these elected leaders.”
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Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez serves as the City’s Chair of Public Safety and represents the 7th Council District in the Northeast San Fernando Valley which includes the neighborhoods of Sylmar, Mission Hills, Pacoima, Lake View Terrace, Sunland, Tujunga, North Hills, Shadow Hills, and La Tuna Canyon.