A California first: woman signs bill into state law

Mar 31, 2022, 3:15 PM | Updated: 6:28 pm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — For the first time in California’s 171-year history, a woman has signed a bill into state law.

Gov. Gavin Newsom normally signs the laws in California, but he left the state on Wednesday night for a family vacation in Central and South America. State law requires Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis to act as governor until he returns.

The Legislature on Thursday morning passed a bill to extend a law preventing some renters from being evicted until the end of June. The bill had to be signed into law on Thursday because the old law was set to expire and tens of thousands of renters could have been evicted starting Friday.

It ended up being an historic moment for the nation’s most populous state, which has a reputation as a progressive powerhouse but has never elected a woman governor.

“It was very humbling. And I did feel that sense of history,” said Kounalakis, who also signed a separate bill relating to elections on Thursday. “For many years women have been writing legislation … but no woman has ever signed a bill into law. And it felt like a moment in history that we should recognize as important.”

California has elected plenty of women to other statewide offices.

In 1992 voters sent two Democratic women to the U.S. Senate. Dianne Feinstein still is serving while Barbara Boxer retired in 2017 and was replaced by Kamala Harris, who previously was state attorney general and now is vice president.

California’s female power was on display during President Joe Biden’s recent State of the Union address, when Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sat behind him. Pelosi has represented San Francisco in Congress since 1987.

Kounalakis, a former president of a real estate development company who served as ambassador to Hungary under President Barack Obama, is California’s first female lieutenant governor. She was elected in 2018 and replaced Newsom.

The state’s No. 2 executive has limited power. She casts tie-breaking votes in the state Senate and serves as a University of California regent, among other posts. Those who hold the office sometimes use the post to boost name recognition for future statewide campaigns — as Newsom did.

Historically, women don’t run for governor at the same rate as they do other offices, according to Jean Sinzdak, associate director of the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University. She said women usually make up about 25% of gubernatorial candidates nationwide. It’s one reason there have been just 45 women who served as governors in U.S. history.

“People have these kind of unconscious biases, even against women in the executive position when they are the boss,” said Kim Nalder, professor of political science at California State University, Sacramento. “When they are members of a legislature they are members of a group. That plays into the positive stereotypes people have about women being good at collaboration.”

California is one of 19 states that have never elected a woman as governor. That likely won’t change this year as Newsom is favored to win reelection. But it could change in 2026 when Newsom can’t run again because of term limits.

California has four women elected to statewide office now while 38 women are in the Legislature — both all-time highs. Along with Kounalakis, Treasurer Fiona Ma, Controller Betty Yee, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and state Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins all could run for governor in 2026.

Kounalakis said any woman with a statewide platform should be thinking about running for governor — including herself. But with that election more than four and a half years away, she wasn’t ready to commit to running for the office just yet.

“I think that what’s important is that the women who could have a chance at being elected governor think about how we honor each other’s abilities, because there is plenty of pressure for women to not help each other, when in fact the way that we’ll see a women governor in the future is because women help one another,” Kounalakis said.

Newsom is scheduled to return to the state on April 12.

“The governor could have changed his plans. But he’s extremely supportive of elevating people around him, particularly those from underrepresented groups,” Kounalakis said. “And I am very grateful to him for helping to make this happen.”

__

This story has been corrected to fix two inaccurate spellings of Kounalakis’ last name.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

This photo provided by Robert Wilkes, owner of a house boat management company, shows smoke rising ...

Associated Press

Houseboats catch fire while docked at Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell

More than half a dozen house boats momentarily caught fire at a popular boating destination on the Utah-Arizona line on Friday.

3 days ago

File - Women work in a restaurant kitchen in Chicago, Thursday, March 23, 2023. On Friday, the U.S....

Associated Press

US hiring, unemployment jump in May and what that says about the economy

The nation’s employers stepped up their hiring in May, adding a robust 339,000 jobs, well above expectations.

3 days ago

(Pixabay Photo)...

Associated Press

Oath Keeper from Arizona sentenced for role in Jan. 6 riot at US Capitol

Edward Vallejo, a U.S. Army veteran from Phoenix, oversaw a “Quick Reaction Force” at a Virginia hotel that was prepared to deploy an arsenal of weapons into Washington if needed, authorities say.

4 days ago

FILE - U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz listens during a news conference, Jan. 5, 2023, in Washi...

Associated Press

US Border Patrol chief is retiring after seeing through end of Title 42 immigration restrictions

The head of the U.S. Border Patrol announced Tuesday that he was retiring, after seeing through a major policy shift that seeks to clamp down on illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border following the end of Title 42 pandemic restrictions.

5 days ago

FILE - President Joe Biden talks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., on the House steps as...

Associated Press

House OKs debt ceiling bill to avoid default, sends Biden-McCarthy deal to Senate

The House approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package late Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans against fierce conservative blowback and progressive dissent.

5 days ago

Sean Bickings (Family Photo via city of Tempe)...

Associated Press

Family of man who drowned last year in Tempe Town Lake files wrongful death lawsuit

The family of a man who drowned in Tempe Town Lake a year ago filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city Wednesday, noting that its police department doesn't have a policy requiring officers to go into the water to save someone.

5 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

SANDERSON FORD

Thank you to Al McCoy for 51 years as voice of the Phoenix Suns

Sanderson Ford wants to share its thanks to Al McCoy for the impact he made in the Valley for more than a half-decade.

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

How to identify the symptoms of 3 common anxiety disorders

Living with an anxiety disorder can be debilitating and cause significant stress for those who suffer from the condition.

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...

Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.

A California first: woman signs bill into state law