Upcoming Events
Pasadena Play House Presents: Mauritius
This event will take place on Friday, March 27 through April 26, 2009 at the Playhouse Courtyard (39 S. El Molino Ave. Room # 300, Pasadena, CA 91101). For more information, please call (626) 356-7529.
Speaker Karen Bass presents: Los Angeles Water Forum
This event will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Culver City Veterans Memorial Complex (4117 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA 90230). Please RSVP by calling (323) 937-4747 by Thursday, March 26, 2009.
Men Reading Women Writings: A Literary Luncheon to celebrate Women’s History Month
This event will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Breakwater Room, Ports of Call Restaurant (Berth 78, Ports of Call, San Pedro, CA 90731) Tickets are $35. Please RSVP to Linda Nietes at (310) 514-9131 or via email at linda_nietes@sbcglobal.net.
CSW Board Meeting
This meeting will be held on Friday, April 3, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at City Hall. For more information, please contact the Commission at (213) 978-0300 or via email at cswinfo@lacity.org.
Women of Baldwin Village-Job Training Workshop
This event will take place on Thursday, April 16, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Jim Gilliam Park (4000 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90019). For more information, please contact the Commission at (213) 978-0300 or via email at cswinfo@lacity.org.
April 22-Denim Day-Stay tuned for ways in which you can get involved.
www.denimdayinla.org
California State University Dominguez Hills May Day Labor and Social Justice Fair
This event will take place on April 30, 2009 from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at California State University Dominguez Hills (1000 E. Victoria St., Carson, CA 90747). For more information, please call Labor Studies at CSUDH: (310) 243-3640 or email idspace@csudh.edu.
Career Opportunities
LADWP Student Worker Program is Hiring!
Earn while you learn about LADWP facilities located throughout the City of Los Angeles. The program runs from June 23, 2009 to August 14, 2009. The pay is $11.68 per hour. Application deadline is April 24, 2009 by 4:00 p.m. For more information, please call LADWP at (213) 367-2729. Applications can be accessed at http://jti.ladwp.com. DWP will notify selected students by May 15, 2009.
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Young Women of LADWP Visit Orange County Water District
By: Maya Henderson, Policy Intern
On Friday, February 27, 2009 I had the opportunity to participate in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) joint outreach project, the Young Women’s of LADWP Summit. The project took approximately 25 students to the Orange County Water District Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) System site as part of their continuing efforts to expose young women to careers in math and science.
This group of fortunate young women from all over the City had the opportunity to tour the facilities and gain a better understanding of its function and benefits to the community. The day began with a tour during which the ladies got to meet with the technical operators that manage the systems daily operations. The two male operators encouraged the ladies participation in non-traditional fields, especially with the water district. “These are recession proof jobs,” one technician advised while reiterating the importance of having trained personnel to oversee water projects. The need for water is critical regardless of the economic conditions of the time.
Following the tour the students heard from Kecia Washington, Director of the LADWP Education and Outreach Services and Farzaneh Mofidi, Environmental Supervisor of the LADWP Water Quality Compliance department. Both ladies delivered motivating words that encouraged the students to value and continue their education and look to companies like the DWP for fulfilling, stable careers.
The trip was a great success based on how receptive the students were to the presentations. The young ladies got an on-the-job look at a revolutionary water project. All the participants left the trip with a sense of possibility for their own success and a working knowledge of the GWR project that they can gladly share with their communities.
Commission Celebrates Women’s History Month through Service
By: Ricky Richardo (writer), March 9, 2009, published in BrooWaha Los Angeles
 Los Angeles-Spring is in the air as evidence by the Cherry Blossom trees that are in full bloom at my place of employment as well as down the main thorough fare of the city that I live in. It was another picture perfect day in Los Angeles for the inaugural Women’s Festival, presented by the City of Los Angeles, Councilmember Herb Wesson Jr., Community Build, and LA City Commission on the Status of Women, Jim Gilliam Recreation Center and Hungry Hog. The event was held on March 7, 2009. The inaugural event theme “Women of Resilience,” was held at Jim Gilliam Park (4000 South La Brea Ave.)
A full day of activities was scheduled for women and girls of all ages in attendance. There was a tennis clinic hosted by the Venus and Serena Williams Tennis Academy’s Coach LeGeorge Mauldin featuring local journalist Jasmyne Cannick. Additional activities were children’s activities featuring a jump tent as well as a skateboard clinic. Hungry Hog & Starvin Steer were serving complimentary breakfast and lunch all day.
Several local people went home with one of the following door prizes which consisted of kid’s bicycles, skateboard, gift baskets, and gift cards from Target, Ralphs and Footlocker. To enter the raffle, participants had to visit 10 booths to obtain a ticket.
Several elected officials came out in support of the event and to applaud the organizer Kellie Hawkins, Executive Director of the Commission on the Status of Women. “The festival gives us the opportunity to address the pressing and relevant needs of women living in the Baldwin Village and throughout the City of Los Angeles. During these tough economic times, the Commission has a responsibility not only as a policy advisor but also as a resource to women throughout the City and especially those in underserved communities to connect them to the essential and critical support services in the community from health and wellness to job training” stated Kellie Hawkins. “In honor of Women’s History Month, we wanted to host an event that was in the community and for the community.”
The full text of this article, can be accessed at: http://www.broowaha.com/article.php?id=4643
Local Family Business Gives Back To The City of Los Angeles
Rayshell Chambers, Legislative Coordinator
At the first mention of the ‘Hungry Hog and Starvin Steer,’ one might assume that it is the title of a fictitious cartoon character or possibly a hero. The latter inference of a hero is correct in the minds of local community members throughout the Los Angeles area. Actually, the Hungry Hog and Starvin Steer, Inc., is a local catering business run by Bill Lawrence, meat industry entrepreneur, who is determined to give back to the community by way of filling bellies with hot dogs, hamburgers and BBQ chicken. The Commission recently partnered with the ‘Hungry Hog,’ for the Women’s Festival, in which Lawrence’s team worked tirelessly to provide breakfast and lunch to hundreds of Baldwin Village residents. In addition to their service, Lawrence donated two bikes to the Commission to be raffled at the festival.
The Hungry Hog is no stranger to the City of Los Angeles. Lawrence has invested over 20 years of service to the local community in various capacities. Last year, the Hungry Hog partnered with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’ Summer Night Lights (SNL) program which is aimed at combating gang and gun violence during the summer months by keeping parks and recreation centers in Los Angeles's highest-crime districts open until midnight. During the summer, Lawrence and his team provided food to over 15 local parks throughout the City of Los Angeles.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Stephanie Lawrence also shared her make-up expertise at the festival. During the event, Stephanie provided women with make-overs, tips on skin care and ways to improve self-confidence. Ms. Lawrence is also no stranger to community service and hard work as she had dedicated a significant portion of her childhood to volunteering with the Hungry Hog. Recently, Stephanie opened her own business, Make-Up Nation, a store dedicated to providing women with high quality cosmetic products. The Lawrence family contends that the main reward they receive from their volunteer service are the bright smiles on the community members faces when they receive a meal.
For more information about Make-Up Nation, please email Stephanie Lawrence at makeupismynation@yahoo.com.
New Survey Reveals Most Women in LA County Jails Have Been There Before!
By: Justin Ciecka, Law School Intern
 In a recent L.A. Times article, writer Richard Winton noted that “four out of five women within Los Angeles County prisons have previously served time behind bars.” Specifically, Winton stated that 81% of women in custody are repeat offenders. With such high recidivism rates, it is obvious that there is a strong need to end the repeat offending that occurs in Los Angeles. But first, we need to ask: why is recidivism occurring in the first place?
Winton’s article cites various factors impacting the recidivism rate such as homelessness, lack of education, unemployment, disability, and drug addiction. According to the inmate survey, 45% were on probation and 22% were on parole at the time of their arrest, six out of 10 were substance abusers, and most were mothers with children under 18 years of age. In all, a total of 32,000 females pass through Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood annually.
The high rate of repeat offenders among females should not be overlooked. Currently, I am serving as an intern with the Los Angeles City Commission on the Status of Women on the Re-Entry Project. My focus has been on researching City programs directed at providing female ex-offenders with access to employment opportunities.
I recently had the chance to interview Mr. Gregory Irish, Executive Director of the Los Angeles City Workforce Investment Board. During our conversation, he stressed the important role that the City’s 18 Work Source Centers must play in assisting ex-offenders. The Work Source Centers provide a wide range of services including job training and apprenticeship programs. In addition, the City has been involved in establishing a “Navigator” system – the Navigator would help the ex-offender navigate through the system in terms of getting employment and other services.However, as of now, this program is only available to 250 ex-offenders in Los Angeles.
Mr. Irish also discussed the City’s Project Labor Agreements (PLAs). These city contracts with contractors require that residents of the City of Los Angeles are hired to complete public sector projects. The PLAs include a category for Disadvantaged Persons, which covers females and ex-offenders.
The City of Los Angeles has well-intended programs in place to address recidivism. As a part of our project we are looking at ways in which the City can access federal funding to provide more services to these women who are within the ex-offender population. We know that in order for these populations to thrive we have to invest the necessary dollars into support services to assist this population with re-entering into their communities.
President Obama Creates New Council on Women and Girls
By: Heather B leemer, Policy Intern
On Wednesday, March 11, 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order creating a new White House Council on Women and Girls. The Council is designed to ensure that federal agencies pay attention to the way their policies impact women and families in terms of equal pay, family leave, and childcare.
This Council will have a tremendous impact on women and young girls in the City of Los Angeles, partly because women make up more than half of the city’s population. Economic security, health care and measures to end violence against women will be increased as a result of the new Council. Agencies like CSW, who work directly with women and girls in the Los Angeles community, will now have enhanced support as a result of this Council.
Teen Corner
Public Outrage Over New Rape Video Game: Battle Raper
By: Conica Winston, MLA High School Intern
 Women have come a long way in society. We are strong, wise, intelligent and independent. Despite the progress we have made, it is ironic how much further we have to go. Next month, we celebrate Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. And while many will be celebrating and honoring the progress we’ve made in the field of gender violence, we still have a long way to go. An example of this became clear to me when I witnessed a recently released video game out called “Battle Raper II,” a hateful videogame that graphically shows players how to rape women.
”Battle Raper II” has three different modes in which multiple players can rape female characters. To make matters worse, gamers can impregnate female victims after the sexual assault. In the event that the female does get pregnant you’re suppose to force her to abort the fetus, otherwise she becomes visibly more pregnant each time she has sex.
The complexity of the game is repulsive and horrible. A recent study conducted by the Indiana University School of Medicine revealed that brain scans of adolescents who played violent video games show increases in emotional arousal and a decrease in areas of the brain that involve self-control, inhibition and attention. It would seem like rather than making video games displaying how to rape women, video game makers would create age-appropriate interactive games that would promote positive images of women and young girls. A statement from the Japan based company said that the game was created exclusively for the Japanese market. Basically the company is stating that adolescences only in Japan are able to have access to such a horrific video game. However, I would argue that it should not be permitted for anyone to be witness to such violence. If some action is not done soon for our future generations to come, what will become of society? How will males treat females if video games are subjecting them to rape women? “Battle Raper II” needs to be pulled off the shelves nation-wide. The long-term effects of this game will be very harmful in relationships if not addressed.
Legislative Update
 During the March Commission Meeting, the Board voted to recommend support of the following bills:
H.R.626- The Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009
- S. 21-The Prevention First Act
- A.B. 159-Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders: task force
- AB 513 - Health Care Coverage for Lactation Consultation and Breast Pump Rentals for New Mothers
- AB 514 - Rest Breaks for Breast-feeding Mothers
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