It’s been 99 years since our nation officially gave women a voice at the ballot box, and a vote in our democracy. But when the Getty House Foundation celebrates Women’s Equality Day, we’re doing more than marking an anniversary. We’re showing Los Angeles just how far we’ve come in building a more just and inclusive city, while recommitting ourselves to keeping the fight for equality alive, and doing everything we can to empower the women and girls leading L.A. Today, we were proud to join Mayor Eric Garcetti and First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland to honor some of the women who are living reminders of this legacy — breaking new ground in their industries, and paving the way for the next generation to follow in their footsteps.

Honorees:

• Councilmember Nury Martinez, first Latina to hold a leadership position on the L.A. City Council, and first to hold the position of President Pro-Tempore;
• Chief of Staff to Mayor Garcetti Ana Guerrero, first Latina to serve as Chief of Staff to the mayor of a big city in the United States;
• Ambassador Nina Hachigian, the first U.S. Ambassador to serve as Deputy Mayor in Los Angeles, and the first Deputy Mayor of International Affairs in L.A.’s history;
• Denise Verret, the first woman and African American to become general manager of an accredited zoo in the nation;
• Cat Packer, L.A.’s first City Cannabis Director, the first African American and LGBTQ woman to serve as a General Manager in L.A., and the youngest General Manager appointed by the Garcetti Administration;
• Norma Isahakian, the first woman to run L.A.’s Bureau of Street Services;
• Rachel Malarich, L.A.’s first City Forest Officer;
• Regina Scott, the first African American woman to hold the rank of Deputy Chief of the LAPD’s Central Bureau, and the first to be named Commander in 2011; and
• Kristin Crowley, L.A.’s first female LAFD Fire Marshall.

 

 

The sun may have been hiding, but that didn’t stop 300 middle-school girls from playing their hearts out with us at the Getty House Foundation’s annual Title IX Day celebration. Supported by Getty House Foundation and the LA84 Foundation,  Nike sponsored and powered this event to celebrate the landmark legislation that helped put women’s sports on the map. Nike supplied the basketballs, soccer balls, and yoga mats— while the students brought their A-game, and showed us all what “girl power” really looks like.

 

After warming up for their circuit rotations, the girls were treated to a visit by Paralympian track star Scout Bassett, whose story of perseverance and heart had us all on our feet. Together with First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland’s reflection on growing up in the early days of Title IX, these stories were powerful reminders that when we double-down on our commitment to getting more girls on our courts and fields — especially those in our most underserved communities — there’s no limit to what they can achieve. And through Girls Play L.A., Los Angeles has done just that, doubling the number of girls who play sports at the City’s Recreation and Parks centers in just two short years — making today’s activities accessible to young Angelenos in every neighborhood. To learn more about girls’ sports programming in your community, visit https://www.laparks.org/sports/gpla.

A new year means the promise of a fresh start. It’s also a chance for all of us to let go of the bad habits that hold us back, and embrace new ones that push us to become our best selves. That’s why every January, millions of Americans begin new journeys towards health and wellness — whether they’re lacing up and hitting the gym or just getting around to that not-so-annual physical.

The Getty House Foundation’s mission is to build a healthy, thriving Los Angeles, so to kick off 2019, we invited women and young girls from all over the city to start the year with a clean bill of health. From college students to veterans to women experiencing homelessness, every participant got to hear from an expert panel of inspiring female healthcare leaders, then meet local healthcare providers who were there to check vitals, teach Angelenos about breast and cervical cancer prevention, and share healthy living tips for the mind, body, and soul.

The afternoon was filled with fun, too, as girls decked out in face paint learned how to bandage fake wounds, mothers and daughters sun-salutationed away their stress, and everyone got to experience the magic of the Mayor’s Crisis Response Team mini therapy horses. We hope that everyone picked up some new healthy habits, and that they’ll carry what they learned into a new year bright with opportunity!

When Team USA arrived in Munich for the 1972 Summer Olympics, only 84 of the 400 American athletes were women. Fast-forward to Rio in 2016: women outnumbered men 294-264, and outmedaled them 61-55. Had our female athletes competed as their own nation, they would have placed third overall, and tied for first in the gold medal count. That extraordinary success means one thing: we cannot stop fighting for equal representation in youth sports, because more girls — especially in our lowest-income communities — need to be empowered to pursue their own athletic greatness.

Each journey to the medal stand begins somewhere — summer camps, varsity teams, endless nights on neighborhood courts — and thanks to Title IX, discrimination doesn’t have to stand in the way of those dreams. So for our annual Title IX Day celebration, the Getty House Foundation teamed up with Nike — as well as Misty May-Treanor, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Angela Davis, and Gina Rodriguez — to help hundreds of middle school girls be fearless, have fun, and find their inner champion.

Ten years from now, the world will turn its eyes to Los Angeles for the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad — and in 2028, we want to showcase a city where no child is left on the bench because of her gender, race, ZIP code, or physical challenges.

To learn more about girls’ sports programming in your community, visit laparks.org/sports/gpla.

Participating athletes:

• Misty May-Treanor, three-time Olympic gold medalist volleyball player
• Ibtihaj Muhammad, Olympic bronze medalist fencer
• Angela Davis, USA Track & Field five-time All-American and motivational coach
• Gina Rodriguez, actor

Young girls grow up with big dreams. Oftentimes, they want to become superheroes – saving lives, fighting fires, and stopping the bad guys on our streets. But when women make up just over 18% of our City’s police officers, and 3% of our firefighters, girls are left wondering whether those dreams can really come true.

So on March 15, Mayor Garcetti, First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland, and the Getty House Foundation hosted a group of these gifted, bright, and motivated young women for a recruitment fair, where they tried on fire equipment and police gear, learned CPR, ran fitness drills, and found out what it takes to become an LAPD or LAFD officer – from real life heroes who turned their childhood aspirations into successful careers. After the recruitment fair, Criminal Minds star Kirsten Vangsness led a discussion with LAPD and LAFD leaders on the challenges that female public safety officers face out in the field, and their efforts to bring more women into the fold.

If you know a young girl who may be interested in a public safety career, visit the LAPD and LAFD resources below for more information on youth programs:

• LAPD: LAPD Cadets
• LAFD: Girls Fire Camp, Youth FIRE Academy, the Cadet Program, and High School Magnet Academies

Panelists

• Kirsten Vangsness, actress
• Caroline Carpenter, LAFD Firefighter
• Breanna Carlson, LAPD Police Officer I

Today we hosted our annual Women’s Leadership Luncheon – where we come together to recognize the historic contributions of two pioneering women by inviting female community leaders to share their own stories of success. The luncheon gives LAUSD students an opportunity to meet accomplished women from a variety of professions, and engage in insightful conversations about their career paths.

This year, L.A. Sparks President & COO Christine Simmons, actress Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and radio personality Josefa Salinas joined 300 high school girls to discuss the challenges of working in male-dominated industries, the #MeToo movement, and the importance of never giving up on a dream.

Mayor Eric Garcetti, First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland, and the Getty House Foundation Board of Directors hosted an event to celebrate the women who serve on Neighborhood Councils (NCs) throughout the City.

In Los Angeles, there are 96 NCs with 660 women serving in leadership positions. Currently, 40% of NC members are women; one of Mayor Garcetti’s goals is to work to achieve gender parity on Neighborhood Councils. Grayce Liu, General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, congratulated the NC members at the event on their success at winning their elections and their accomplishments serving on NCs.

Mayor Eric Garcetti, First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland, and the Getty House Foundation Board of Directors hosted an event to match women pioneers in STEM careers in the private sector with students from throughout Los Angeles enrolled in STEM programs. The event opened with a video produced by the Bureau of Engineering of the City of Los Angeles that showcased women explaining why they love being engineers for the City. Event participants learned of the Mayor’s ongoing education and workforce initiatives that encourage and promote girls and women in STEM fields. The students also networked and connected with mentorship opportunities.

Public Works Commissioner Heather Repenning moderated a panel that included Dr. Leslie Shoemaker of Tetra Tech (water infrastructure); Diana Mendes of HNTB (engineering); Tacy Trowbridge, the Global Lead of Education Programs at Adobe (digital art/technology); and Lilian Coral, the Chief Data Officer of the City of Los Angeles.

Mayor Eric Garcetti, First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland, and the Getty House Foundation Board of Directors welcomed feminist, journalist, social icon, and political activist Gloria Steinem to Getty House.

The event commenced with a slam poetry performance by young women from Get Lit, a nationally recognized organization that has stemmed dropout rates and increased literacy among youths in Los Angeles through the teaching of poetry.

The First Lady then conversed with Ms. Steinem about her life and work as well as her latest book, My Life on the Road. The young women in attendance were given the opportunity to ask Ms. Steinem questions, and each guest received a signed copy of her book.

Mayor Eric Garcetti, First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland, and the Getty House Foundation Board of Directors welcomed leading new media content creators and personalities to discuss how new media are creating opportunities for women to launch media careers. New media platforms such as YouTube, Periscope, Facebook Live, and Tumblr provide forums where women can create content to broadcast to audiences without having to go through the mainstream channels that may hinder women’s success.

Innovation and Performance Commissioner Catherine Geanuracos introduced the panelists for the evening: Moderator Sarah Penna, Head of Awestruck; Beatriz Acevedo, the CEO of Mitu; Ann Le, a producer at Dear White People and Secret Cinema & Fluency Studios;
 Aaliyah Williams, the founder and CEO of Just A Rebel Productions; and Rachel Miller, a partner and co-founder of Haven Entertainment/Film2Future.

Global Girl Media covered the event for their online channel with student reporters. The young women videotaped the program and interviewed our panelists and guests. It was a real-life experience for these budding journalists.

Mayor Eric Garcetti, First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland, and the Getty House Foundation Board of Directors hosted a preview of the initial results of the Report on the Status of Women and Girls in Los Angeles, the first-ever study focusing on the issues and trends affecting the women and girls in the City of Los Angeles.

Mayor Garcetti asked the Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women to commission the report to guide policymaking to address economic, social, and other inequalities facing women.

The five-part report was researched by Mount Saint Mary’s University.  The first two parts, released today, examine gender equity in the areas of Demographics and Leadership. The other areas of focus are Education and Workforce Development, Public Safety, and L.A.’s Veterans.

In addition to announcing the results of the report, Mayor Garcetti also announced the strides his administration has made thus far to achieve greater equity in city government.  Three of Mayor Garcetti’s four Deputy Mayors are women. Of the twelve new departmental General Managers he’s appointed, six are women.  And for the first time in history, City Hall has achieved gender parity on its forty-one boards and commissions — in Mayor Garcetti’s administration, women hold 54% of these positions, and there are no longer any all-male boards or commissions.

Key findings of the first two parts of the report include:
—Women of color comprise 72% of L.A.’s female population, with Latinas representing 48% of all women in the City.
—25% of all L.A. women (25 years and older) do not have a high school degree, compared with 13% of U.S. women. 63% of L.A. women have not attained a post-secondary degree, compared to 62% of U.S. women.
—30% of all L.A. women under the age of 18 live in poverty. The L.A. poverty rate for single mothers raising children under the age of five is 49%—four times greater than the poverty rate for married couples.
—L.A. women’s median earnings are $25,557 versus $30,399 for men, meaning women earn $0.84 for every $1.00 a man earns.
—28% of City employees are women.
—Women provide 78% of the City’s administrative support staff and only 2% of employees classified as “skilled craft.”
—Women in Los Angeles City government earn $0.83 for every $1.00 earned by men.

The first two parts of the report can be viewed at www.lamayor.org/statusofwomen.

The Pioneer Women Awards provide an opportunity for the Commission on the Status of Women and local elected officials to honor those whose lifelong work advances the status of women and girls in the City of Los Angeles. Each year, members of the Los Angeles City Council and the Commission on the Status of Women nominate honorees. This year marked the 25th installment of the awards. Mayor Garcetti, First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland, and the Getty House Foundation Board of Directors brought together past and present honorees at Getty House to celebrate 25 years of women who have helped shape Los Angeles.

The Mayor and First Lady honored women leading nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles and invited Shane Goldsmith, CEO of the Liberty Hill Foundation, to speak about women’s leadership at grassroots organizations in L.A.

The Mayor, First Lady, and Getty House Foundation Board of Directors honored the women who have been appointed to city commissions. For the first time in Los Angeles history, more than half of the Mayor’s appointments have been women.