Greetings all.
I wanted to address the current situation around the novel coronavirus. As you may have seen in the news, Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency on Thursday, March 5. However, public health officials are emphasizing that the immediate health risk from the virus for the general public in California remains low.
Coronavirus
We know that the situation is rapidly changing and can be unsettling. Our board and admin team are monitoring daily developments locally, nationally and internationally.
I am pleased to share that the our NAWBO-CA events remain as planned and we will proceed with our scheduled events: Advocacy in Action (on April 17 at the Discovery OC) and Propel (on May 4 & 5 in Sacramento). See below to register for both events.
Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our members, guests, staff and event attendees. We want to assure you that, in light of these current health concerns, we are doing everything we can to provide a clean and safe environment at our events. In addition to encouraging general hygiene practices, we will be adding hand sanitizing stations and will increase the frequency of cleaning surfaces as an extra measure of precaution.
We will keep you informed of any changes should they occur. If you have any specific questions or concerns, please contact us at
state@nawbo-ca.org
.
I am so appreciative of your shared enthusiasm for NAWBO and our #NAWBOcommunity. Thank you for your support and understanding as we navigate this challenging situation.
Now for the impact the virus may have on our businesses — only time will tell. Early data (and my own experience) shows that some of us are already feeling the affects of a contracting economy. In the coming weeks, we will circulate a quick survey about how the virus is affecting your businesses. It will be
helpful to know as we advocate on behalf of all of our members, so thanking you in advance for responding.
SB 873
Last month, I traveled to Sacramento along with our President-Elect Vikita Poindexter to testify at an informational hearing about Senator Jackson’s (Santa Barbara) bill SB 873. Below is a summary of our testimony before the assembly members.
Data gathered by the
Assembly Committee on Consumer Protection, Governmental Efficiency & Economic Development
shows that gender discrimination in pricing results in each adult woman in California paying a gender tax of approximately $2,381 every year. Multiply that out across a woman’s working lifetime (conservatively estimated from age 20 - age 65) and the total is over
$100,000 dollars per female consumer
.
To describe this amount as significant is an understatement. This, combined with the gender pay gap, creates discriminatory pricing that
systematically
AND
systemically
deprives women of an equal opportunity to succeed.
This directly impacts women entrepreneurs in terms of funding their own businesses. Multiple studies show that women receive only 2.2% of venture capital and angel funding. As well, the average loan for women-owned businesses is
31 percent less
than for male-owned businesses. Women entrepreneurs must often fund their nascent businesses out of their own pockets. 40% of women entrepreneurs pull from their personal savings and 46% use their personal credit cards to fund their businesses.
The bottom line is, any form of gender-based tax undermines the ability of women business owners to compete at a level of parity. We are pleased to be involved in the conversation to rectify this; and (ideally) in the implementation of a solution.
Stay tuned as we follow this bill’s progress through the capital. More news to come!
NAWBO-CA
As always, stay brilliant, successful, and supportive of your #NAWBOcommunty colleagues. And I’ll see you all at the upcoming Tri-Anything Multi-Chapter Event on March 27!
Hilary
- President, NAWBO-CA
- Past President, NAWBO-LA
- Founder & Creative Director, Lentini Design & Marketing, Inc.; DBE, WBE, SBE, SB, SLB, EBE, VSBE
- Governor-Appointed Board Member, California Workforce Development Board
