THE BLOOM IS OFF THE ROSE:

Decline in the ranks?: EMILY's list works to train female Democrats for office (Lisa Vorderbrueggen, 4/27/05, CONTRA COSTA TIMES

EMILY's List, a national organization that advocates for the election of pro-choice Democratic women, fears declining numbers of women in the political pipeline could reverse decades of advances for the fairer sex in the California Legislature.

Nearly half of the Legislature's 37 elected women will lose their seats to term limits in 2006, and an additional 11 will see their time run out in 2008.

If women fail to run and win these open seats, the number of women in the Legislature could plummet to 10, or just 8 percent of the 120-member Assembly and Senate.

"Term limits open up seats for women, but it also means that we need to provide support and training at the local level to keep a strong flow of women in the political pipeline," said Cristina Uribe with EMILY's List.

California is not alone.

Declining or stagnant numbers of women willing to participate in political life "is a big concern nationwide," said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

Not if you favor liberty over security.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 27, 2005 12:41 PM