Senate Select Committee on Select Committee on California-Mexico Cooperation and Dialogue

Convene the Senate Select Committee on California Mexico collaboration and Dialogue. It's my honor to chair that Committee, but we may have some colleagues of mine in the Senate breezing in and out during this informational hearing. I hope you'll bear with us.

It's an interesting time in the Capitol right now with folks in and out, so I'm looking forward to this conversation and hearing from some of our esteemed panelists. I think, as many of you know, we have a unique, overlapping, interdependent, shared history between the state and between Mexico.

And it's intertwined and current events, I think, present us a unique opportunity to develop an agenda that can take into consideration and bring into focus long overdue representation and participation.

Gender in Mexico, we have the historic election of the first woman President elect, Claudia Scheinbaum, the recent announcement of the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris as a standard bearer for a major political party in the United States, former Senator and Attorney General of the State of California.

In addition, in California, we have a number of distinguished women leaders in the race to be the next Governor of California in the 2026 election, and our histories collide and coincide in ways that it can allow for the development of an agenda centered around gender equity and gender representation.

But building this agenda and providing this perspective and focus does not happen overnight without appropriate dialogue, understanding and policy mechanisms. Mexico for the first time is requiring affirmative action policies for federal senatorial positions requiring that political leaders nominate people from marginalized communities, including migrants, indigenous Afro American, and people who identify as LGBTQ and those that live with disabilities.

In 2019, constitutional reforms required balanced representation of women and men, and candidacies and positions in the Executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.

Although California and Mexico have made great strides in the fight for gender equality, equity and representation, building an agenda centered around this that crosses borders and blended cultures will require a deeper understanding of the unique legal and political aspects of both our governments and our peoples, as well as a deepening understanding of the opportunities before us to develop a shared agenda.

Today is the 15th anniversary of the California Mexico Advocacy Day, and for 15 years, this Committee has investigated numerous issues affecting our shared constituencies. On the 15th anniversary, it is fitting that the Senate Select Committee on California Cooperation and Dialogue explore unique opportunities, build an agenda with a gender perspective through bilateral cooperation between our two countries.

So today, we're going to hear from some distinguished experts and representatives who provide their perspective on how California and Mexico can build an agenda centered around taking into account and the perspectives around gender.

Unfortunately, two of our panelists will not be able to make it today because of illness, and we wish the Governor of Sonora and Commissioner Garcia Bauer both a speedy recovery. Darcy Trotton will provide a few remarks on behalf of the Commission on the status of women and girls.

But before doing so, I'd like to give our esteemed consul General of Mexico in Sacramento a treasured partner to this Committee, to myself and to the Senate on California Mexico Advocacy Day today and beyond, Consul Christian Gonzalez to share a few words. Consul, welcome.

Muy buenas tardes. Gracias. Esteem my dear friend Amigo, a very strong ally to the government of Mexico. Good afternoon, everyone. It's a true privilege to be here with all of you today. Today to be part of this important annual event.

At the outset, I want to express my deep gratitude to all those present, as well as to our partners in the Select Committee for the Mexico California Cooperation and Dialogue in the California Senate.

Your commitment and dedication have been crucial to the ongoing success of this dialogue, which not only strengthens our economic and cultural ties, but also drives joint initiatives that benefit our communities.

For 15 years, as Senator Padilla have mentioned, advocacy Day has been a key for strengthening the bonds between Mexico dialogue and issues that deeply affect both sides of the border.

Over the year, this event has served as forum for collaboration and mutual understanding between our nations, and it has allowed us not to only reinforce commercial and economical connections, but also deepen our cooperation in critical areas such as education, environment and migration.

Thanks to this forum, we have been able to identify opportunities and propose concrete recommendations for public policies that benefit both sides of the border. This year, we are intentionally focusing on the development of an inclusive gender agenda through collaboration between Mexico and California.

This approach addresses the current context and underscores our commitment to a feminist foreign policy that promotes equity and inclusion in all aspects of our societies.

It is crucial to highlight that the choice of this theme could not be appropriate, especially if it's not because, as you mentioned, Senator Padilla the election of the President of Mexico of Doctor Doctor Claudia Schaimbau.

Her near inauguration to the presidency not only will recognize the potential of female participation in politics and society, but also marks historical milestone as the first woman leader to assume the presidency in all of the North American region.

Her exemplary leadership in Mexico City has not only inspired many of us, but also demonstrates how women can lead, change paradigms, and strengthen female representation globally.

To invigorate and build a more dynamic and meaningful cooperation between Mexico and California, it is essential to identify areas of collaboration, such as the exchange of best practices in public policy organizing summits and conferences on gender equality and creating joint programs that promote education and economical empowerment of women.

We also empasize the importance of the memorandum of understanding between the Mexican Secretary of Foreign affairs and the Californian Commission of the Status of Women and Girls. This robust and active agreement addresses issues such as gender based violence, pay gaps, and unequal access to resources and opportunities.

It represents a crucial starting point for driving border actions that benefits the most vulnerable communities, including Mexican and indigenous women, rural women, women with disabilities, and LGBTQ community. Bilateral cooperation between Mexico and California can greatly benefit from adopting gender sensitive principles and proposals.

Both regions share fundamental values such as equality, diversity and inclusion, positioning us to lead similar agendas on international level. By working together, Mexico and California not only foster more comprehensive and equitable policies, but also serve as a model of international cooperation in promoting social justice, justice and parity.

The synergy between our regions can result in a significant impact, creating more just and equitable societies where all women have the opportunity to thrive.

On behalf of the government of Mexico, I sincerely thank the California Senate Select Committee, particularly again to our friend, Senator Steve Padilla and all his hard work that have allowed us to now create this important dialogue, as well as the California Chamber of Commerce for their presence and commitment to this share cause.

May this 15 anniversary of Mexico Day at the Capitol be a resounding success and starting point for an even brighter and more collaborative future between our great nations.

Sindura estes tiempo de mujeres, es tiempo de minorias, es tiempo de migrantes, es tiempo de construir una sociedad, una comunidat mas fuerte para todas, para todos y para todes. Feliz dia Feliz dia de Mexico en California y que viva California. Que viva Mexico. Muchas gracias.

Gracias, consul. Thank you very much. Inspiring as always. We're going to be joined today by migrant Senator elect Karina Ruiz, who was making history as the first Mexican migrant. To hold a seat in the Mexican Senate.

With the historic election of the first woman President of Mexico also came the opportunity for Mexicans abroad to receive representation in the Mexican government. An estimated 12.1 million Mexicans live outside the country, with 97% in the United States, according to a 2020 report 21 report by the Institute of Mexicans abroad.

In November of 2023, the INE announced revised rules, as I noted earlier, for political parties and coalitions in accordance that require parity and the nomination of people from certain underrepresented groups for the federal Senate in Mexico. This includes at least one candidate who is a migrant and resident living abroad.

Senator elect Ruiz is a beneficiary of the DACA program for those who migrated to the United States during their childhood and is the Executive Director of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition, Incorporated.

As a migrant Senator, the Senator elect hopes not only to serve and listen to migrants, but to address their needs to see how she can help improve their lives in both countries. As Executive Director of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition, she has worked on listening, supporting procedures, and making the dream of family reunifications come through.

Senator elect about to step into a pretty historic role. Felicidades. Welcome.

Thank you very much, Senator Padilla. It is my pleasure to be here today, standing here in California, a very dear place to me. I have a mentor here, Professor Armando Vasquez Ramos. He has been my mentor and has believed in me to be in this position. So I would like to make that recognition.

I know there's people in our lives that always make a difference, and I hope to in the future also make a difference in our Latino and Latina girls and boys to believe that they can also do whatever they wish to do, strive for the stars. And with that, thank you so much. I will be presenting.

I was asked to present on the topic of the matter today, building an agenda with agenda perspective in our bilateral cooperation between Mexico and California. And I can think of a better collaboration, I think. Next, please.

As we can see in the slide, as I was researching into this topic and recognizing that Mexico and California and this region have a. Thank you. Have a very important, not only economic trade, but also in migration. This is the topic that is very dear to me.

And as we can see in this graphic, California and its exports in millions of dollars, when we looked at other places in the world, Mexico and California by far have the highest amount of exports.

And that talks about the economics and how important it is for us to continue this collaboration as our communities have the opportunity to thrive in both sides of the border and we can see women entrepreneurs on both sides of the border.

I know in Phoenix there is a program in the consulate that allows for women to get that leadership skills to be entrepreneurs and thrive in their businesses. I believe that is the case here in California, and I really hope for that to be the case in the whole border states.

But beyond that economic impact that we know that strong relationship that states like California and Mexico and Arizona and Sonora and different other border states have, I think that to me, having in mind the immigration and the impact that our communities have in both sides of the border, that human mobility, it's something that we need to consider in order to keep this gender perspective in mind.

Women that have seen their families separated by a border, opportunities that they have in California, Mexican women in particular. Next, please. I am a DACA recipient, and it took me 12 years to graduate from Arizona State University with a bachelor of science in biochemistry. Because of my immigration status. As a young Latina, I have faced the inequality in University.

In college, I didn't see many people that seemed like me, that looked like me, and that was very, very hard for me not to be able to look up to peers that looked like me in the sciences and had that opportunity of thriving.

And quite honestly, I had the dream of becoming a pharmacist and maybe a pharmacist professor to find cures to things like cancer. That was the wish that my librarian at my high school had for me when I told her I was going for biochemistry.

Life takes us through different paths, but I know how hard it is for our young immigrant Latinas to see that barrier of education, to know that because their families are from Low income, we do not have an opportunity to strive and attain higher education.

With that in mind, I think that this collaboration in a binational agenda will help Latinas like myself to believe that there is a dream of education, to know that there could be cooperation between California and Mexico.

Professor Armando that I mentioned at the beginning, had this project where he said, let's do a one on one exchange with this one on one exchange of one student from Mexican origin going into a University in Mexico to explore and have that innovation that Mexico's universities provide.

And send one student from Mexico to come here to California also get the benefit from the knowledge that harvests these universities to me, to a Latina like myself with DACA right now, and a dance parole, that would be an immense opportunity. Also, those first and second generation students and Latinas from Mexican origin could benefit from this.

I'm talking about Latinas, mexican young ladies that would be in college that otherwise would not be able to come here because maybe they do not have the economic standards to be able to pay for an exchange program.

This program that Professor Armando brought forward has the intention of having the California government put some money, and the Mexican government also putting some money into this Fund to make this exchange possible.

I can only imagine, with the potential of our young Latinas and Mexican young women and having the impact on both sides of the border and having that experience from across the universities, another potential growth in our communities. Is to see that perspective and development in our border communities. Immigrants want to invest in Mexico.

Those immigrants that live in California, I have heard they want to invest in Mexico. And having these opportunities of collaboration between the two states, I think, is going to harvest a great opportunity for development in the region. Next, please.

Also, the benefits that would come with this collaboration and having this perspective of women on both sides of the border, those women with double nationality, those Mexican Americans that live in California, to be able to have this inclusion in the decision making in the entire region, is going to bring a perspective that is going to lift those in the bottom up.

Because we have seen that oftentimes when we talk about an economy that trickles from the bottom up, it oftentimes doesn't get to the bottom. And we know that as minorities, we know that as people that come from the fields and those workers, that our families are always left at the end and marginalized.

As a young woman and a dreamer, and having the opportunity of being the first Senator of my country, I know that there's an immense potential for women to be able to lead and build relationships and collaborate. And to me, I mean, looking at some statistics, because, you know, statistics raise eyebrows. Sorry, but stories change minds.

It's important to also have some knowledge about what impact Mexico has in the region, but also in California. 17 women in California State Legislature. That's the amount of women that there is in this state Legislature.

And I know that these women have the interest of families because they're caretakers, because they are the ones who oftentimes have to administer the budget at their homes. So we have an immense potential to make decisions that are going to benefit not just a few, but all of us in the region. Next, please.

When I also think about this perspective of gender, I think about women who face other issues at hand. And one of the statistics that jump at me was the girls that drop out of school going along with what I mentioned about this continuous higher education.

The dropouts in school can really affect things in life, like making decisions about having an early pregnancy, to improve this and pursue a career, for example, like myself in steam or higher education. I believe that we can do efforts in order to reduce the amount of young women who have pregnancies, who have children at an early age.

I was looking at what California and the United States, what efforts they have done to bring these statistics down from 15.4 births per 1000 women at ages of 15, down to 8% in 2019. To me, it was education. Education and programs that, I mean, that's what I was reading in these efforts.

And I think we can do a collaboration also in that respect, too. I think that when we. I believe that when we attack the root causes of issues, then in the region, we can also help these young women to have a chance to higher education.

And as always, it comes with this information, with this collaboration in programs that it tend those populations that are vulnerable in that respect.

So, again, I think collaboration like these programs, that's just an example of what the United States has done and what we can also bring across the border, and programs where we can also promote in places like our consulates and do that effort and that collaboration together, of, of course, that comes with some money.

And as I mentioned, the idea of Professor Armando, of bringing these one on one exchanges, everything costs money. So we need to look at our budgets and see if we can include these programs where people can advance, those people that are most affected and vulnerable. Also in the labor market, I've seen also that maternity and paternity leave.

It's another of the areas where we can also collaborate, maybe in things where in Mexico, I'll be advocating also for these programs for people over there.

And also here, I would like to maybe hear from Senator Padilla on disrespect, on the advances on programs that are going to help mothers and fathers that have children of, of young ages and what improvements can be done. I know in Arizona we have been fighting for medical leave and parental leave and all these benefits.

I think, again, the labor force in both of our communities, also, the workers that are from Mexican origin, I think are the hardest, I believe are the hardest workers.

And oftentimes we need to make sure that we intensify our efforts to reduce informality in the labor market that would go along with ensuring women and men are fully incorporated into the social protection system, earn fairer wages and have higher job quality.

With that said, having me as a, as a first generation student and having the opportunity of representing my people and having all these concerns in mind where we can collaborate and cooperate, that's just some examples of the many things that I know need to be addressed on both sides of the border.

It's an honor for me to have the opportunity to represent my people. For me, in order for all of us to be well, we have to attend the most vulnerable. And in my community, that's the undocumented people, the undocumented folks working on bringing those people out of the shadow.

I know in California, it is a welcoming state that you recognize the value of our people. Because we didn't cross the border many times in many situations, but the border crossed our people.

And we're going to come here with this effort and this spirit of collaboration so that we can do all of these great things that would benefit people on both sides of the border.

I really believe that this transformation of our country is going to cross the border, and we're going to make sure that our people feel that, feel that from Mexico they are recognized. They're not just remesas, but they are also people that are of Mexican origin with their dignity and the respect that they deserve.

With that, I am again honored to be a woman that represents my people in the Senate of Mexico. I know that if we work hard and if we believe in justice, we always have a chance to win and collaboration with California, it's in my heart.

And I'll be coming back to talk to my people, and also I'll be coming back to talk to you and open doors for them to bring their issues forward to you so that they are addressed in the best way because it benefits California with that, the same as consul. Viva Mexico. Viva California. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Senator. Appreciate it. We're honored to have you. And you are a living, walking example, not just to those of us that share a common heritage and history, and often family history, but to young women, young girls everywhere on both sides of the border.

And I think also an example of the interdependency and the inextricable link, social and economic and personal and cultural, that our two nations share together that are truly interdependent.

I often say, and to my colleagues, who some of them are surprised that I'm the only Member of the California Legislature, the only one that represents the entire California Mexico border from the ocean to the river. And I look at that as a tremendous honor, but also a responsibility.

And I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I think one of the things that's always been complex is how we define and converse around the binational relationship, particularly in the border region communities.

Because having grown up in a border region community sort of took for granted all my life the fact that there were people who were crossing daily that were helping to be part of an important economic infrastructure that we depended on on both sides of the border, that the economic and trade relationship with Mexico strengthened from the time I was a child to, to now most important trading partner, co producing north of 40% of exports out of North America, with Mexico indispensable right along with human infrastructure, students being educated on one or both sides of the border, learning skills that are in demand, uniquely in the border region.

And so there's this irony, right, that those of us that grew up sort of with a sense of the binational relationship took a lot of that for granted.

And yet the conversations, particularly in recent times, have often in border regions and when it comes to the US and California Mexico relationship, been focused on the challenges only or the problems.

And I'm going to be blunt, I think in our recent political conversation in the United States nationally, that has been sort of warped and twisted it into something that is wholly negative and only negative.

So I think that one of the opportunities, and I'd love to get your thoughts, Senator, on this, is sort of 100,000 foot level, is there has been a narrative that has developed over many decades and many years that, sadly, the border region itself, and by extension the border region as a representation of the binational relationship and the relationship between California and Mexico is something to be feared, to be run from, to not to be overlooked, and to be.

Wholly negative. And in order to move good policy and good partnerships, whether it be on underwriting, educational exchange or skill development or deciding what are the critical industries we can help together, the narrative in the conversation has to be correct and accurate, and it has to be clear.

So what are your thoughts about how we can work together as representatives of a sort who have some commonality but are in different places to help steer that narrative to what it, to the realities of the relationship today and particularly in the border regions in the 21st century? Right.

Because we still talk about the US Mexico border region in this country as if it's back in the 19th century. And we don't talk about it from a security standpoint or economic standpoint. We don't speak about that in 21st century terms. And that's what's missing.

So what are your thoughts about how we can lift those voices and how we can educate colleagues and how I can better educate colleagues in government here to reshift that conversation around the reality and not the rhetoric?

Yeah, I believe that the, the narrative around immigration recently, even more than particularly after 9/11, it has been about criminalizing migration, about criminalizing freedom to move and the mobility. I know when I came through the border, my parents decided to stay.

We were planning to stay for one year, and then we saw how hard it was to come, and then if we left, it was going to be harder to come back.

That mobility, I think, is something that has to be talked about because I know that if we were given the chance to come here in a legal way, we probably would have worked and then go back to our family because we had the rest of her family in Mexico.

I have brothers that are temporary workers that come here six months and then they go back to their families. But if we keep having this narrative and this conversation of fear and putting more barriers to mobility and to facilitating legal migration and mobility, we're going to be faced with these issues.

I think that we need to bring to the table asylum seekers and we need to bring to table migrants to have conversations. Government officials go to talk to CBP and to Ayes. But I have not seen many conversations with those directly impacted. And I think that we don't have the humanity.

And in Mexico, I've learned, even though I live in Phoenix, Arizona, I've turned to Mexico and I've learned about humanismo mexicano, the humanistic Mexican way. And this talks about going to those that are most impacted to get the better solutions.

I think that if we stop talking about the good immigrant versus the bad immigrant, that narrative that has hurt so many of her families. I had the opportunity of talking to then candidate Biden, President Joe Biden, and I asked him to stop the first hundred, in his 1st 100 days to stop deportations.

And he said, yes, but not of criminals. And I said, did you know that a person is charged with a felony for a reentry because a father was deported and then he came back to provide for his family? His only crime was to work. He was deported. He came back to provide for his family.

What a father would do. And he was charged with a felony charge. He said, I'm not talking about those. And I said, well, that's how my people is treated. And I think we need to have these conversations because when he was elected, he indeed tried to stop in his hundred days deportations.

And then we know the court prevented that because again, judges are far away from our realities. We cannot help communities or find the best solutions if we're disconnected from those that are directly impacted.

And I know that I have brought my people to Washington, DC to educate officials, but I believe that we need to do more of that.

I believe that we need to have officials come not just to talk to CBP, but also to walk, to walk with those migrants and see their realities so that we can bring to an understanding the best solutions. Because quite honestly, I don't think that people should come here undocumented. They risk their lives. Nobody wants that.

But we cannot come to a comprehension of how to make policy and how to make laws that are going to facilitate something that is going to prevent a future problem as it is people being undocumented. Here I was capturing a cage, a golden cage, because migration was not facilitated.

Maybe the story would be different if the governments would agree to let people have mobility, but we won't know until we have those that represent in the communities sit down with everyone, not just part of the problem.

Well said, and I appreciate that. And I think it goes without saying, too, when you think about folks who are mobile and who are integrating, migrating, who are contributing to the economy, critical workforce, often we wouldn't feed Californians and most of the United States without a lot of migrant labor.

And we certainly wouldn't do it at the scale in the economy that we do it today. And it's taken for granted by a lot of folks in the United States.

California is proud of the fact that we go and try to strengthen our federal laws around family and medical leave, around recognizing the fact that within the migrant and international worker community, and that's what I like to call them. Women as a subgroup are particularly uniquely vulnerable. Right.

To other enterprises that take advantage of their desire to have a better life. And so we try to build on that. I know that this session tried to build, you know, focus on some subsets of the workforce, certainly farmworkers in the Central Valley.

Think about ways to protect their environmental reality in the work, in the workplace and strengthen those laws. Again, try not to lose sight of the fact that women, particularly here, make up a key component and have a unique experience in these dynamics.

And we can't ever lose sight of that and how we work together, address those unique needs because they're particularly vulnerable in other ways as well. And I am very pleased to hear your focus and your spirit and your determination. I'm looking forward to working with you in the future.

And I very much appreciate, and we all appreciate your dedication and your testimony and your presence here today. So again, congratulations and thank you. Thank you very, very much.

Thank you for having me. Appreciate it.

In a moment, we'll invite Darcy Trotten, Interim Executive Director for the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, to come forward and join us. Darcy's built a nationally recognized communication effort, including authoring the Commission's award winning original research report, California Women's Economic Blueprint for pandemic Recovery.

She's an expert in social impact strategies, advocacy and crisis communications, with experience centered in educational leadership, political campaign, state and federal issue advocacy, and gender focused public policy. She's passionate about coalition building and working with intersectional and inclusive teams that prioritize historically marginalized communities.

At the last moment, she was invited to provide some comments to sort of pinch hit, as we say in a sports analogy. Welcome very much, Director, and thank you for your presence.

Thank you very much. Can you hear me? There we go. Thank you for having me, Senator, and thank you to everybody in this room.

This is an incredible opportunity, and I appreciate the invitation at the last minute filling in, unfortunately, for our ommissioner, who could not be here today, I'm grateful for the opportunity to share with you some of the work that the Commission on the status of women and girls is doing on particularly some of these issues that cross borders.

I also want to thank all of my colleagues who have come today to show some support.

The Commission is in the room today, and one of the things that I want to talk about that's reflected in that California Blueprint for Women's Pandemic Economic Recovery is something that the Commission's been studying for years, nearly 60 years, which is that when women aren't counted.

We generally don't count when the time comes to make key decisions about our wellbeing, about public policy, and particularly about resource allocation. I'm very proud to stand here to try and stand up and be counted for some of the women that we represent. That would be 19.6 million of us, half the state.

For anybody unfamiliar with our work, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, we are an independent state agency, which is a little bit unusual, and we've spent 60 years working to eliminate inequities in state law and practices that affect 19.6 million women in the state. That's half the population.

And unlike the entire country, we are also half the workforce in this state. Part of our work is understanding that these systems of government, of media, of education, our whole economic infrastructure, because they weren't designed with women's participation in mind originally, they don't fully serve us.

Despite the recent efforts of the last 50 or 60 years, absolutely nothing is gender neutral, and it can't be made gender neutral without significant structural changes.

So that is, our focus is on changing the actual structures we try to lead with the understanding that women's experiences also reflect the intersectional nature of our lives, our race, our ethnicity, immigrant status, sexual orientation, disability status, status as parents. All of those things collide with existing inequities experienced by everyone who shares our gender.

It creates layers of inequality and discrimination against which we need to collaborate and to work in solidarity in order to challenge those and overcome.

We also understand that our individual experiences are bound up in each other's no woman is free while any of us are still fighting systems of oppression, and none of our systems were designed for us to be full, equal participants. Until we are all recognized equally, we all have work to do.

Our 17 Member Commission includes three Assembly Members, three of your Senate colleagues, nine publicly appointed Members, and the statutorily assigned California labor Commissioner who unfortunately could not be here today.

The work involves applying an intersectional gender lens when we take that gender lens approach from the women peace and security policies passed in 2017, and applying that gender lens to state policy and practice, and trying to identify where and how specific, specific structural improvements can be made to ensure more equitable outcomes.

In 2021, we were honored to work with the Ministry of Foreign affairs, the United Mexican States Consul General, and enact that memorandum of understanding referenced earlier that recognizes specifically that women are critical agents of change, and that through our committed political participation, not just our role in our families, we can move actual mountains.

We've agreed to expand our cooperation in the promotion of gender equity and women's empowerment to help women fulfill their personal and professional potential, particularly in the face of barriers such as assault and harassment, a lack of access to affordable housing and healthcare, a lack of access to quality education, and persistent racialized wealth gaps.

The Commission spent a significant amount of time on that last piece, and it was then and remains now our goal to engage in mutually beneficial activities that promote intersectional gender equity in the workplace, at home, and in society at large.

This requires us to acknowledge that in California, Low wage service sector employees who we've been calling essential for the last four years remain largely occupationally segregated, with Latinas in particular making up 70% of that workforce in some industries.

It requires us to acknowledge that they are earning $0.49 for every dollar earned by white Mendez in the state, and that Latinas with a bachelor's degree are earning just $0.58 for every dollar earned by white men. Education is not the great equalizer that we need it to be.

It also means acknowledging that we have a lot of work left to do. Even as we are watching a woman run for the highest office in the land, and we are steps from finally achieving parity in our state Legislature, there's a lot that has remained unchanged.

We also have to look at that pay gap in terms of other factors, right? Educational attainment, years of work experience, occupation, industry, citizenship status. They explain, although do not justify, only some of those discrepancies. There is a remaining gap not explained by any of those factors. zero, I forgot, parenthood. That one gets in there, too.

But there is a remaining gap not explained by any of those factors that says that over a 40 year career, the difference between what a California Latino going to earn and what a white man is going to earn, it's going to cost that woman $2.1 million. That's a whole retirement. That's a whole family's security and support.

And when we start looking at these things through all of these multiple intersectional lenses, we have to also acknowledge that women do not have the same experience. Right? It is deeply racialized. It is also deeply inconsistent having to do with parenthood status, disability, and LGBTQ status.

Collectively, women in California are losing approximately $87 billion annually to the gender pay gap alone. And unfortunately, Latinas are burdened with most of that economic shortfall. It hits them the hardest.

One of the things that that blueprint found is that if we simply paid working women the same as Menta, we would reduce poverty for working women in California by 40%. There's a massive reduction. All we have to do is pay them what we pay them in, in the exact same jobs they're currently in. No other change.

And yet, despite that, there's a lot to be proud of in this state. Women own most of the small businesses. We are incredible entrepreneurs. Yes, we are mothers. Yes, we are often victims. But we are also so creative.

We are hardworking, and we are business minded, and we contribute enormously to our shared collective economic growth and success in the fifth largest economy of the world. California is actually home to the most Latina owned small businesses in the entire nation, who contribute more than $9 billion to the economy every single year.

And I want to just ask this room to imagine what would happen if we started investing in those women and those companies the way we do. Young men with tech startups living in their parents garages. And how many apples and Teslas and Microsofts we haven't recognized simply because their founders looked a little different?

Or when they went to apply for a bank loan, they had two kids in tow and their papers were wrinkled. Most of those small businesses represent attempts to make ends meet in the face of extreme pay inequities and the poverty that comes with it.

If we're going to celebrate the success of our businesses, we also have to recognize that they're driven by necessity as much as by passion. That's a challenge for everybody in this room to solve. It is our collective problem.

And this is before we even begin to address the needs and persistent challenges faced by labor forces, such as migrant workers, who are essential to bringing nearly half of the nation's food to our tables every day, for example, or the persistently underpaid service workers, without whom entire industries that our economy relies on absolutely do. A collapse.

Covid-19 shutdowns drastically shifted the burdens of caregiving to our homes, especially on the shoulders of women. The pandemic significantly increased the share of women's labor at home, even for those still working full time. And women employed in the care industry were significantly impacted. This hasn't changed even four years into a pandemic.

Moreover, women in care professions, particularly childcare, suffer from persistent inequality, making, on average salaries that are comparable with those earned by dog walkers in America. They're averaging about $12 an hour, which in California is less than fast food. It is a statement about what we think of the value of theoretically.

Women, work, and gender, it turns out, is a substantive element that must be considered in the health of any overall workforce and our continued capacity for economic growth and global competitiveness. The Commission is concerned by the systemic erosion of women's well being, human rights and economic status that we've been seeing in recent years.

And I appreciated the nod to some of the harmful rhetoric, particularly around border security, some of the challenges that have arisen because of that rhetoric. We also want to highlight the disproportionate impact that this has on women of color across the board, LGBTQIa women, migrant female workers, families, and then women as a whole.

Because, as I keep saying, we're all in it together.

And I'm glad for the opportunity to make these remarks today and to double down on the Commission's commitment to a relationship between California and Mexico that prioritizes gender equity right at the top and the needs of women and girls, and our commitment to building opportunities for women and girls and to raising awareness for the importance of adopting this sort of intersectional gender perspective within policymaking, within the business community, within how we invest in our future, and to encourage continued cooperation on joint projects that address specifically the economic challenges we face, as well as our social challenges.

And with your support and the support of the Legislature, it's our hope that we'll build on our existing MOU to continue to develop meaningful policy to mitigate those challenges and to open a broader future of opportunity, particularly for girls. The population of California is changing, and girls are absolutely our future.

I want to thank you for your time today to make a few remarks, and I look forward to many more years of cooperation and continued productive dialogue. And it is my hope that we are able to one day celebrate not needing to have these conversations anymore, because we will have done it. Thank you.

Very well put. Thank you so much, Darcy. And just a note. Thank you for those comments. They're well taken, and I very much appreciate the work of the Commission and have for many decades.

Frankly, I will just say this as well, for the record, so that, you know, as you sit up here and look at the a cisgendered male with the staff sitting up here having a conversation about the place of unique perspective of gender lens here. And I wanted to be clear.

I have a couple of distinguished colleagues who sit on the Select Committee who are amazing women leaders and who send their regrets because they got pulled away and were able to sit on the hearing.

And also, Senator Limone, who is a friend and a colleague, sits on the Commission, also intended to try to swing by at some point. And I know that, as I mentioned at the top of the hearing, there are some extraneous circumstances and movements and schedule conflicts that are happening in real time that we don't have control over.

So I wanted to be sure that all of our distinguished women participants, girls who may be watching it is not men in any ways disrespectful or blind thing. I had hoped to be joined by some distinguished women colleagues up here today, and it just. The gods didn't allow that to happen today.

But we, we will soldier on because the content of this conversation is important. And Darcy, I do agree with you that I think we all are trying to work towards something that we hope that these conversations, which sometimes seem so rudimentary and obvious, should be obvious, will not be necessary.

And you can count this Member in among those who desire that. So I wanted to put that on the record for those of you who are wondering what is going on here, this dialogue, so that you knew what was going on. And again, thank you. Thank you very much.

Next, it's my pleasure to welcome Natalia Vega, policy Director for Gender Equity Policy Institute. I invite you to come forward.

Natalia has a background in international development, development policy, macroeconomics and feminist economic analysis, has collaborated with various international institutions, including the United Nations Department of Economic and Social affairs, as well as nonprofit organizations such as the Women's Environmental and development organization that advocate for gender equity and climate change awareness.

Notably, she has authored double undocumented women in the United States, an in depth analysis of undocumented women in the US, with a particular focus on the four states with the highest numbers of undocumented immigrants, California, Texas, Florida and New York. And we extend a warm welcome to you. Natalia, can you hear me?

Thank you, Senator Padilla. And I want to thank the distinguished guests that are here in the room. I'm deeply honored to be part of the discussion. As a pro Latina from Mexico, I'm honored to be part of the discussion of building an agenda with a gender perspective through binational cooperation between Mexico and California.

At the gender equity policy Institute, we accelerate gender equality through research, advocacy and policy development. We specialize in intersectional gender impact analysis and are the first us organization devoted to gender mainstreaming. California and Mexico share a unique geographical and cultural closeness, and the challenges that we face often transcend our borders.

Two of the most pressing issues are gender equity and climate change, which require collaborative efforts and innovative solutions. Today, I want to talk about how empowering Latinas can advance equity and climate goals in both regions. First, I will provide an overview of the current State of Latinas in California, highlighting their progress, enormous contributions, and unique challenges.

Next, I will examine the intersection of gender and climate change as many of us know, climate change disproportionately affects women, especially those from marginalized communities. Latinas are no exception and are particularly affected as a community. Finally, I'll share some recommendations to help incorporate a gender perspective in tackling climate change.

These policies aim to empower Latinas in California and Mexico while ensuring that our efforts are fair and effective. Many of these recommendations can serve as first steps for knowledge sharing and collaboration across borders. Next slide, please. So, to first understand how we can empower Latinos in California, we must know who they are.

Well, they play a crucial role in the state's economy and society. Two in five California women and girls are Latinas. Majority of them were born in California, although a significant share are immigrants, with a quarter of them being born in Mexico.

There are women who tend to be younger, with a median age of 31 years old, and they're more likely to be mothers, with about one in four of them being mothers of children under 18. Next slide, please. They contribute enormously to California's economy.

They have a high participation in the labor force that drives various sectors across the state. About one in five latinas age 25 and older hold a bachelor's degrees, which shows how they're enhancing their economic prospects and leadership potential. Latina owned businesses are also key players in local economic growth, generating nearly 147,000 jobs in California.

They're essential contributors to California's workforce. They're cashiers, mates, personal care aides, retail salesperson, and customer service representatives, all occupations that we know that they tend to be Low weight but are vital to California's top industries. Even among undocumented women in California, 11% work as mates, showing how they make crucial contributions despite their challenging circumstances. Next slide, please.

Yet despite being essential workers, Latinos in California face many economic challenges. They're often concentrated in service and care, work, occupation, and as you can see in the slide, they're Low paid. As a result, they have the lowest median income among race and ethnicity groups. Their salaries typically range from $25,000 to $32,000 per year. All of these challenges.

When you add all of these challenges, half of Latinos live in rented homes, and the majority of women led households cannot afford to even pay their rent. They're also among the least likely to have health insurance in the state. All of these economic challenges are and will be exacerbated by climate change. Next slide, please.

So it's important to remember that climate change is a women's issue. Research demonstrates that women are disproportionately suffering the harms and impacts of climate change. So much so that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has created a gender action plan to be incorporated in every climate action.

So there's enough evidence that supporting gender equity and ensuring that women fully participate in creating a climate resilient economy can significantly help California and Mexico achieve their climate goals. Now, the reasons behind this disproportionate impact are twofold. First, women generally have fewer resources for response and resilience.

They spend higher shares of their income on energy and housing, and they have to face the gender pay gaps, meaning that they're earning less than men. Second, women have greater care burdens when there are climate related disasters. It is women who bear the brunt of caring for the vulnerable.

Also, many of them work in pay care given jobs, which obviously adds to their burden. Next slide, please. So how are Latinas in California disproportionately affected by climate change? Well, we have a report that's called the promise of gender inclusive climate action that explores this more in depth, but I will give some examples.

Firstly, Latina householders experience energy burdens significantly higher than the statewide average, meaning that they're spending more of their income in paying for electricity and gas or fuel. Secondly, most Latinos live in regions like Los Angeles, the Inland Empire and San Diego were extremely heat is intensifying.

Thirdly, Latinas are more likely to be burdened by household and care responsibilities compared to other women in the slide. I think it says that they spend over 5 hours in household and caregiving activities, that is, per day. And finally, they're more likely to live in areas with poor quality water and suffer from drought conditions.

All of these vulnerabilities, along with living in inadequate housing conditions, exacerbate Latinas climate vulnerability. So what kind of policies can be implemented to promote Latina, to promote equity for Latinas while addressing climate change? Thank you. Well, one is, I'll give some recommendations, but there are many recommendations. I'm just given three for now.

One is to increase energy efficiency among Latina led households to help address their high energy burdens. Now, how can we do this? Well, there's evidence that women, particularly those in Low income households, do not fully take advantage of weatherization and energy efficiency programs.

So there's an evident need to implement targeted outreach that can increase their participation in these type of programs. Secondly, by mitigating urban heat island effects. How can we do this? Well, one example is by expanding the use of cooling materials in urban pavements.

This will not only improve community resilience, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it will also benefit Latinos who frequently spend time outdoors because of their occupations and their care responsibilities, and finally, investing in robust public transportation infrastructure.

Many of us know that women are the majority of public transit users and that promoting the use of public transit is a great policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. So we need to ensure that public transit is safe, accessible and caters to women's needs.

That way, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced, a greater use of transit will be encouraged, and especially among Low income communities, and equity overall will be improved.

These policies can be the first steps towards building a bilateral agenda between California and Mexico, and I think it's a great example of how we can address certain issues like climate change while incorporating a gender perspective. But I also want to give some recommendations of how this bilateral cooperation could be built through. Next slide, please.

It could be by collaborating on research initiatives and sharing data to understand, understand better and address the gender impacts of climate change, working together to create policies that integrate gender considerations and promote effective climate action, and finally, facilitating the exchange of technologies and innovative practices to address climate change and improve equity.

So with this, I've highlighted how implementing a gender perspective we can empower Latinas while making significant strides in both equity and climate resilience. I want to encourage all of us to continue this vital collaboration and implement these recommendations to ensure a better future for all.

I appreciate your time and attention and I look forward to our continued efforts. Thank you.

Thank you so very much, Matthia. Very informative and appreciate the lens on resiliency around the impacts of climate change in real time, in real terms. I see it every day. I live, you know, in the district that I represent across the spectrum and the coastal areas of my community.

The climate change has worked to exacerbate the swelling of the Tijuana river watershed at times, which itself then complicates issues around trying to mitigate those flows from a public health standpoint perspective. And so, and the communities, of course, that are very vulnerable.

There are often women, Latina women, in that part of the state who are on both sides of, of the porter, frankly. And we see that in the Inland Empire areas.

As I go, my district goes all the way to the Colorado river, takes in all of Imperial county, and you look at the changes in the climate change reality is exacerbating harsh conditions that affect everything from mobility to housing, sustainability, energy consumption, all of that, which then is really tough on folks who are barely being able to have the economic power to meet the need.

The other thing I should just tell you too, and comment on is that one of the things that my amazing staff and I work on all the time that's a focus is on working poverty in California's economy and the fact that a greater and greater percentage of our low wage, minimum wage earners, entry level workers in the workforce, are now more dependent on those types of jobs for full time security than folks at that same portion of the workforce were many decades ago.

They're sort of stuck in that. And the demand on their labor hasn't gone anywhere. In fact, it's increased.

And yet they find themselves stuck without economic mobility, sort of in a component of the workforce that has high demand for their labor, where they're having to work more hours to maintain equilibrium, status quo, to make basic needs, and without the mobility that their grandparents had when they spent time in that segment of the workforce.

So they're stuck. And that I have termed them the invisible workforce in California, and they are, because we consume their services all the time, but we don't. Everybody gets really uncomfortable when I start talking about the fact that these folks are stuck and many others. And of course, that has a deep impact on women mothers.

They are disproportionately represented in that cohort, which makes it hard to have people access opportunities, whether it's educational, vocational, whether it's support program, whether they're free up that time to build a life if you're just spending 80 hours of your time just doing that. So it's very much a concern and a focal point.

And I don't know if you want to speak to that at all about that dynamic in the workforce itself. But I can tell you as one representative that represents this part of the state, you have a lot of those things all converging on populations and demographics and geographic locations all at the same place at the same time.

And it's very frustrating. And so your thoughts and input on drawing those linkages are really important and valuable.

So, I mean, what I can tell you about is that what kind of research we have done is about the, the big burdens that are put on women, that it's really ironic how they're so important to California's economy, but in a way, it seems like their wages are not able to go up.

So I think it's part of the conversation that we were saying before, that we need to take this ideology, that the immigrant worker and the Latino workers, it's so valuable to California economy.

And I think that by valuing their kind of work, that's where we can start into first narrowing their gender pay gaps and also understanding that there are so many other challenges that it's not only about the economy, it's about climate change. It's about the gender inequities that are within the communities.

I think an intersectional perspective in tackling this kind of issues, not only climate change, but any other poverty. Once we realize that there's not just one solution, there are many solutions that need to be implemented with an intersectional perspective, then we are able to do some kind of change.

Appreciate you very much. Keep an eye on my efforts in the future to continue to pursue a housing wage standard and provide incentives for employers to adopt those wages, all of which have run into resistance in the Legislature. But we're not giving up. So I think there's a lot of ways to get at this.

And I appreciate your presence and your testimony today. Thank you so very much. And now we get to introduce Helen Torres, Executive Director of Hispanas organized for Political Equality as a CEO of hope for 23 years, Helen Torres has strategically built the Latina leadership and advocacy infrastructure in California.

Composed of thousands of civically engaged Latina leaders serving and elected in appointed office as business, philanthropic and community leaders, she has created robust pathways to leadership for Latinas in high school, to Latinas across the United States, resulting in over 1600 leadership positions being filled by Latinas. Helen was raised by a single mother outside of Detroit, Michigan.

She's a first generation college graduate. Her passion to fight for women's rights stems from witnessing the sexual and racial discrimination her mother faced daily. We welcome you. Thank you for your work and for being here.

Thank you, Senator Padilla, and for this Commission's work and for your outstanding leadership. As mentioned, my name is Helen Torres. I have the great pleasure of being the CEO of Hope.

Hispana is organized for Political Equality, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to ensuring political and economic parity for Latinas through leadership at advocacy and education to benefit all communities and the status of women. We are grateful for this opportunity to contribute to this meaningful discussion on fostering bilateral relationships with Mexico and California that integrates a gender perspective.

Latinas make up 20% of California's population and represent a growing demographic. I also want to put a fine point to that, that 25% of Latinas in the United States reside here in California, we are driving progress. We're driving progress in our communities, contributing to the economic growth and participating increasingly in the political process.

Integrating a gender perspective into discussions between California and Mexico is essential for fostering inclusive and equitable policies that translate into positive change for Latinas, by extension their homes and their communities. It is also critical that we create opportunities to ensure Latina leadership is representative in all levels of our government and our civic society.

I specifically wanted to spearhead a conversation around one of Hope's leadership programs. Hope has a variety of series of leadership programs that build community Latina community power by preparing and supporting Latinas as civic leaders and creating meaningful spaces to foster social and civic exchanges.

Recognizing that Latina leadership is not restricted to the Us border, we launched a Hope Binational fellowship program in 2018, which is a program for outstanding Latina executives from the United States and in Mexico to Kavapow their leadership into national and global stage. The aspirational goal of the fellowship is to prepare Latina leaders across the western hemisphere.

We've opted to begin the exchange with one of the country's with the United States largest trading partner, of course, Mexico. As binational fellows, Latinas connect in person and virtually to unearth shared experiences, challenges and solutions for addressing the issues our communities face both locally and globally.

They also secure support from other leaders as they prepare to run for office or reach new positions of leadership in their communities as they share strategies for making changes across the border.

The binational fellowship focuses on attention of issues of importance for our bilateral relationship, specifically trade agreements, dispelling how they are created to be mutually beneficial, how they impact both the economy here in Mexico and the United States.

We talk about national security and its increasing importance in relationship with Mexico, Mexico, particularly as it relates to trafficking, illicit drugs, guns and humans. The condition of the border has often been a topic of discussion amongst all our women.

We also focus on attention on the State of democracy and the governance in both countries over the last few years, looking at the role of civic society in protecting democratic institutions and promoting democratic principles.

Finally, we also spend some time looking at these issues from a woman's lens and dissecting the role of women in Mexico and here in the American society, how they are faring in leadership, both in private and public sectors.

I am very proud to say that we have an incredible leadership program because it's chaired by our former us treasurer, Rosario Marin, and current journalist and thought leader from Mexico, Veronica Ortiz Ortega.

We also have some notable graduates from the program, perhaps some you know, San Diego supervisor Nora Vargas, who recently helped establish a chief binational affairs office for San Diego, County, California State Limon Senator Monique Limon, who has been leading in equity and transparency issues for the state.

We also had Mexican government officials like Vanessa Rubio Marquez, who's previously Mexican under secretary of finance and public credit, and Maria Kahneman Alanis, former Chief Justice of the Mexican electoral court.

These women and this program bring together the ability and opportunity to not only elevate women in Latina representation, but to help mold society and create change in a systematic way that improves the quality of life of communities on both sides of the border.

As we all noted, this is a historical year for Mexico as it is elected as first female President, a testament to the progress being made towards gender equality and representation.

While we celebrate this achievement, we also need to acknowledge that elevating and electing Latinas and Mexicanas into leadership roles should not be a one off exception, but it should be the norm. The first woman in any position should never be the last.

Representation matters, and it is crucial that we continue to break barriers and create opportunities for continuous placement of Latinas and decision making roles. One of the key things around policy that we would love to see addressed more frequently is addressing political violence against women.

This includes addressing issues that threaten this leadership pipeline, such as gender bias, lack of access to resources, and cultural barriers. We must also acknowledge the real threats of violence that women of color face here in the United States and in Mexico when they decide to run for office.

The current political climate across the nation here in the United States is fraught with escalating rhetoric and incidents of violence posing significant risks to individuals in all levels of government. Female elected officials, in particular, face disproportionate levels of harassment and intimidation, as evidenced by the alarming statistic outlined in the 2023 report by Women California women's List.

Their report found 65% of women surveyed experienced harassment during their campaigns, compared to 50% of men in a deeply troubling and that nearly deeply troubling that nearly two thirds of women candidates have experienced harassment during their campaigns, with even higher rates among women of color and LGBTQ women.

These threats not only undermine our democratic principles, but also deter qualified individuals from seeking public office, thus weakening the diversity and representation within our government.

Every candidate deserves to pursue these positions without fear of violence or retaliation, creating safe and supportive environments I would also like to cite that in Mexico, a survey conducted by the Mexican government found that 70% of women and girls over the age of 15 have experienced some kind of violence enhancing bilateral relationships are important.

Having these conversations that are sometimes very harmful to or difficult to have around violence, especially against women, is also important. Keeping track about our diversity here in California, we could do a better job. Specifically, hope would like to highlight SB 782. California's rich diversity includes a significant Latina population population and its leaders in promoting inclusive, equitable governance.

SB 72,782 by Senator Lamone, a binational fellow alum, as mentioned, ensures that our efforts to elevate diverse voices continue beyond individual relationships or administrations. This is an advocacy to ensure that our Governor, and hopefully others in leadership positions are very transparent about who they are appointing to commissions.

In conclusion, as we celebrate this historic year, we must commit to doing more to support and elevate Latinos into positions of power and foster productive dialogue between our leaders in California and Mexico. We have much to learn from each other.

Investments in programs like the Hope Binational Fellowship, as well as work of the Select Committee create meaningful spaces for this binational dialogue among key leaders to take place and ensure we're leveraging our collective power to create positive change for latinas everywhere.

We thank you for ensuring that gender is the forefront of these discussions, and we thank you for your time.

Thank you very much for your time and for the work that you've done and for helping to create new pathways and opportunities to promote young latinas and positions of leadership. Senator Limon is a friend and a colleague, and on 782 I've been an early supporter and asked to be a co author.

I'll continue to do that, but I share that desire to have that kind of transparency so that we can build on those lessons and actually produce material results instead of just speaking about it philosophically.

So we still have, I think every one of our distinguished guests who testified have reiterated that we still have a lot of work to do, and that is obvious. But I also wholeheartedly endorse and agree that the uncomfortable conversations need to continue.

And again, the circumstances didn't allow us to have some of my amazing colleagues with us today, but they'll be with us next time and maybe perhaps later this evening. With that said, I can't forget the fact that we're grateful to have a good audience here today. Good public participation.

I hope I know a number of Member Commission Members are here. In addition to our distinguished guests in the console, I want to offer an opportunity for public comment that would mean that anyone who is here would like to speak to this conversation or add your voice or comments.

Again, depending on how many of you come up we want to be judicious with our time, but please feel free to come forward or queue up here at the mic if anyone would like to add any comments or questions.

This is an opportunity for Members of the public to do so and get it on the record of the Select Committee. And the only thing I would request is that you would just state your name for the record.

Hi, I guess I'll speak seeing of a large crowd. Hi, good afternoon. Mucho gusto. Caro Gonzalez I'm a binational citizen, daughter of immigrants. My parents immigrated from Mexico. They grew up on the border and that's where they met. My mom had an accounting degree that unfortunately didn't translate here to California.

She ended up earning her high school degree, later finding other career paths as an undergraduate, undocumented women working as a cashier warehouse employee, later being a small business owner, and unfortunately due to her immigration status, had a pivot.

I'm really excited to see the work that you and your colleagues will work on, especially given the statistics and the policy recommendations that were provided here today.

I feel like I'm one of the small percent percentages of Latinas who are able to grow in this small business economic policy space and I definitely feel like there's more room on the table for more latinas to be here. So I just really appreciate the comments that were provided here today.

Hope also has an economic status of Latinas report that also provides other policy recommendations that we can consider. So more Latinas are in the workforce. Highly recommend you to take a peek at that. And thank you so much for making space.

Of course. Thank you. Anybody else would like to come up and share comments or thoughts, please feel welcome and if not, I want to thank all of you again for your presence and participation at this time. We will adjourn the Select Committee and maybe we'll see some of you later this afternoon. And thank you again for attending.