Celebrating the women of Yuba City
Mar. 4—In honor of Women's History Month, Yuba City is celebrating the women who work for the city.
Council member Grace Espindola said they will be featuring women from a variety of departments on social media and on their website to highlight their contributions.
"It's very challenging for women who are in nontraditional kinds of roles, in male-dominated types of work, it's not always easy for women to be seen and heard," Espindola said. "The purpose is to give women (an opportunity) to be seen and heard and truly recognized."
Espindola has been a Yuba City Council member for about two years and has had unique experiences as a woman in government.
"It's a matter of cultural expectations of women — I don't mean that ethnically, just how the relationships are between men and women in society," Espindola said. "... As a politician it's often about the business of the city, the county, and men are not necessarily used to experiencing equal shared power, responsibility, discussion (and) input from women in their own personal world."
She said this is seen in government on a national, state and local level — there are currently no women on the Yuba or Sutter County boards of supervisors or on the Marysville City Council; Espindola is the only woman on the Yuba City Council, Nancy Santana serves as vice mayor in Live Oak, and Lisa McIntosh and Pamela Shelton serve on the Wheatland City Council.
"I'm a strong believer in diversity of thought," Espindola said. "... (Women are) more than 50 percent of the population, so when you don't have at least one of us or two of us, you're missing out on more than half of the population."
She said Yuba City Mayor Marc Boomgaarden and City Manager Dave Vaughn have been supportive of the Women of Yuba City campaign and elevating women's initiatives.
"Knowing that there's support by men does create that momentum that we need," Espindola said.
The campaign launched on March 1 and they will be posting things — such as videos, photos with quotes and stories — about the city's women every Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout the month on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well as the city's website.
According to a press release from Yuba City, they are challenging residents and other local agencies to join in celebrating the accomplishments of women in their lives.
"When we come together, we can really change society, we can change this world, as women for the better. I hope people in our community see what I get to see with the women that work for our city," Espindola said. "I have such gratitude to be able to acknowledge (the women of Yuba City) and recognize them and work with them."
