Nearly a quarter of the women sent to Sacramento from Southern California come from Orange County..
When new state lawmakers are sworn in on Monday, California’s legislature will hit a historic milestone: 59 of its 120 members will be women.
That means women will comprise 49% of the state’s legislature, or exactly one seat shy of gender parity. More than half (34) of the female legislators represent parts of Southern California, and nearly a quarter come from Orange County.
None of this is an accident.
“We set a course for gender parity in the legislature by 2028. To get to 49% two cycles ahead of time is a testament to our strategic efforts and the greater movement for more equitable political representation,” said Susannah Delano, executive director of Close the Gap California, a nonprofit that recruits progressive women to run for the state legislature.
Orange County reached gender parity in the legislature this session, with women making up exactly half of the 16 lawmakers serving the county.
Though women have been elected to the state legislature since 2018, Orange County didn’t send a women to Sacramento until 1978, when Marian Bergeson, a Republican, won a seat in the Assembly. Since then, 17 women have represented Orange County in the legislature, said Alex Vassar, a legislative historian with the California State Library.
Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, first elected in 2012, said her experience living as a woman has guided her at the decision-making table.
“I’ve always looked through the lens of how things are going to impact women,” she said. “And I think I’ve always been looking through the lens of average working families, what are the impacts for them … child care, and of course, cost of groceries and gas.”
The longtime Orange County lawmaker said she was often the only woman in the room, starting when she served on the Fullerton City Council.
“And then, when I headed to the state, at that point, I believe there were 20 women (in the legislature), but only about five Latino women. So it was predominantly very male-dominated,” said Quirk-Silva. “Over the last 12 years, we’ve definitely seen that change.”
Quirk-Silva said issues that affect women on a larger scale, such as reproductive rights and childcare, need women’s voices at the table.
“I think the biggest issue we’re going to hear a lot about, and we have heard previously, but have not seen the impact we need, is on childcare,” she said. “I’m a first-time grandma. And I’m seeing the choices (women) have, and how they have to juggle … when a child gets sick and having to stay home.
“I think with the amount of women (legislators) we have, we’re going to see more work in that space.”
Assemblymember Laurie Davies also stressed the importance of ensuring women’s voices are heard at the legislative level.
Davies, a Laguna Niguel Republican who first was elected in 2020, has introduced legislation aimed primarily at women, including protecting victims of domestic violence and ensuring coverage for medical treatment connected to perimenopause and menopause. She’s also backed efforts to expand eligibility for subsidized childcare.
“This election, California voters sent a clear message that more balance and bipartisanship is needed from their legislators,” Davies said. “Women from diverse backgrounds were elected because of their qualifications and commitment to ensure that our lived experiences will shape how our state creates a path forward on issues like healthcare access, equal pay for equal work, and creating safe vibrant communities.”
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