November December 2024 Mission Gateway
President’s Message
Happy Holidays and Best Wishes to each of you!
Remember: Voting is how we make ourselves heard!
This season, we face a troubling setback: unfortunately, the gender pay gap has widened. Women working full-time now earn just 83% of what men earn – a decline from last year’s 84%. This amounts to a loss of $11,550 annually for each full-time working woman. While there have been gains in real earnings for both men and women, women, especially women of color, continue to be pushed into lower wage jobs.
This pay gap hurts us, our families, and our communities. The pay gap should be shrinking, not growing. We must address the systemic barriers that keep women from earning their fair share – like the lack of paid leave, affordable childcare, and strong pay equity laws.
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On Monday, October 21, 2024 during a zoom meeting at 7 p.m., Nancy Mahr, from the League of Women Voters and AAUW-CA’s Public Policy Committee, gave a very informative presentation on the propositions. This information should help guide you in understanding and making informed decisions as you vote. Tech Trekker North, Bella Saavedra, joined us and shared her exciting camp experiences.
We are looking forward to a special DEI Panel Discussion, a bonus meeting, to take place on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 – location is at Kathleen’s, 1224 S. Fourth St., Alhambra. This discussion is following the lead of the newly minted DEI Strategic Plan authored by AAUW-CA. You won’t want to miss this event!
Also, mark your calendars for our December Membership Holiday Program on Monday, December 2, 2024 at 7 p.m. This will be held at First United Methodist Church, San Gabriel. It’s always a fun event and it will be exciting to see what our Program Chairs and committee have planned for us. We will be inviting our most recent Tech Trek Campers and their families to join us. There will be holiday camaraderie, entertainment, refreshments and door prizes. Creative Crafters will have a booth of hand-made items for sale. The money will be donated to the branch scholarship at ELAC. Be prepared to find wonderful stocking stuffers and special hand-made gifts for the holidays!
We are looking forward to our 24-25 Branch Electronic Directory. Thank you, again, Liz Tarnove for your persistent, diligent and generous work. Keep in touch with Liz if your contact information changes. Please let Kathleen know if you want a paper copy this year.
2025 Planning – Save the Date: AAUW Alhambra-San Gabriel Branch’s Author’s Luncheon. January 18, 2025, 12:00pm – 2:00pm at First United Methodist Church, San Gabriel.
Marilee