Commission on the Status of Women and Girls seeks permanent staff to sustain statewide programs

Darcy Totten, executive director of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, briefed the Assembly Budget Subcommittee 5 on the commission’s statutory role and current workload. Totten said the commission, created 60 years ago, focuses on economic and educational equity, veterans’ issues, reproductive health access and violence prevention and serves roughly half the state’s population (about 19.6 million women and girls).

Why it matters: The commission said it delivers its statutory duties with a small staff (10 permanent positions) and requested conversion of existing limited‑term positions to permanent roles so it can maintain ongoing programs. Totten described specific initiatives, including ongoing oversight of the College Student Right to Access Act through 2026, a youth advisory council building a girls’ public‑policy agenda, partnerships with the Girl Scouts and a major archival digitization project of 60 years of records in partnership with the California State Library.

Totten also said the commission convenes an anti‑reproductive‑rights‑crimes advisory group under AB…