VOICES - Can you imagine a future US Supreme Court comprised only of men? Or the president’s cabinet? Or even the California Coastal Commission?
That would be a throwback to an era long gone, you would think?
And yet, it’s likely to happen to the 15-member Los Angeles City Council after the May runoff election.
In fact, if underdog Ana Cubas doesn’t take Council District 9, LA City’s governing body will become an exclusive boys’ club for the first time in decades.
Though the council will remain relatively ethnically and racially diverse after the runoff, this appalling gender imbalance has LA’s political observers mystified.
The issue could make a difference in the mayoral contest between two solid liberals, Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel.
Faced with an all-male (or a 93 percent male) council, voters might decide that electing a woman to city government’s top job is the only way to compensate for this embarrassing situation.
(LaborLou blogs at LaborLou.com where this commentary was first posted.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 11 Issue 23
Pub: Mar 19, 2013
