THE BUZZ: FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Californians are likely to be represented by a female majority in the state Senate next year — a first for either chamber in the Golden State’s 174-year history, according to a group that helps elect women legislators. Close the Gap CA is projecting that the 40-member Senate will include 21 women, up from 18, an analysis exclusively shared with Playbook. About 90 percent of the female state senators would be Democratic women of color, with Latinas comprising the majority. There will likely also be more Black women in both houses, as a record number are running for office. State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, the only Black woman serving in the Senate, said the change is long overdue. “These women will come with solutions," she said. "They will come with a different lens.” Women have long been at the forefront of major policy fights in Sacramento, from boosting funding for subsidized child care and family leave to pay disclosure requirements and making California a national refuge for women seeking reproductive care banned in other states. Susannah Delano, executive director of Close The Gap, predicted that having more female lawmakers at the Capitol will enhance the focus on such issues. While men now hold the top leadership positions in the Assembly and Senate, women hold many key leadership and committee posts. This election cycle, advocates working to even the gender power balance in the Legislature have seized an opening as large numbers of term-limited lawmakers prepare to leave office. It will be a dramatic turnaround from just seven years ago, when California saw its portion of female state lawmakers drop to 21.5 percent overall, the lowest level in decades. “This is a landmark moment for California and exactly what we've been working towards these last 10 years,” Delano said. California has lagged nearby states in female legislative representation. Colorado and Arizona reached parity in their state Assembly and Senate, respectively, in 2019. Nevada is the only state that has achieved gender parity in both houses of its legislature. In the state Assembly, where female lawmakers hold 32 of the chamber’s 80 seats, women are not expected to achieve parity this cycle. Close the Gap projects they will hold 31 to 36 Assembly seats after the November election. State Sen. Nancy Skinner, who leads the Women’s Caucus, said she was relieved to know that a large and diverse group of women will follow her generation of outgoing senators, which includes former Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and state Sen. Susan Eggman. At the same time, Skinner said the caucus isn't taking any gains for granted — and noted that California has seen a loss of representation at other levels of government. Next year, the state won’t send any women to the U.S. Senate for the first time in more than 30 years. “This is a great accomplishment,” she said about more women being elected to the statehouse. “But we want the same thing in the boardroom, in the CEO position, in the governorship, in the presidency.” GOOD MORNING. Happy Tuesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Now you can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte. WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
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