KTLA News: "NOW representative discusses meeting with Governor Jerry Brown" (1977)

[KTLA Ch. 5 Reporter Stan Chambers] Governor Jerry Brown met in a closed-door session with more than a dozen representatives of women's organizations today. [Chambers] The meeting was held in a small conference room in the Governor's Los Angeles office. [Chambers] The session was the result of requests from various groups of women, [Chambers] who wanted to tell the Governor firsthand about some of the major issues they were concerned with. [Chambers] Among those present, Judge Joan Dempsey Klein, Barbara Johnson, President of the California Women's Lawyers. [Chambers] Various officials from the NOW organization, as well as representatives of minority women's groups. [Chambers] The Governor had about ten women members of his own staff present. [Chambers] Chief Justice Rose Bird, newly appointed by the Governor, also made an appearance. [Chambers] After the meeting a member of NOW gave her reaction to the session. [NOW Representative] He was not a traditional man in his approach. He came in, he took off his jacket. He sat it down, he looked like he meant business. And, ah, I think he really listened to, it was obvious, I was watching him from a side position. And I think he was really interested especially in the areas that affected women, poor women, poor people and childcare issues. [Chambers] The Governor said he would meet further with representatives of women's organizations. And although no promises were made, the exchange did seem to open up good communications between the women and the Governor. Stan Chambers, Channel 5 News, reporting from the new State Building in downtown Los Angeles. [Various greetings, chatter] [Governor Brown] You're early. [Laughter] [NOW Rep.] fall, into six categories. The first is child care funding. The second is employment for women. The third is affirmative action legislation. We have a problem with affirmative action for women in California. The next is appointments of women to commissions, boards, agencies and the judiciary. And the last topic is women's power. Child care funding, is a major issue in California. Because as the Governor stated we have one million children in California that need childcare. The cost of each child, the cost per child is about three thousand dollars each. So that's an immense amount of money we're talking about, for really substantive quality childcare. And the issue of women who work outside the home, needing childcare, is a very important issue, because it touches on the issue of, women being able to work at jobs outside the home earning extra income. And a woman who does not have adequate childcare, doesn't really have too much of a chance of earning some kind of substantial income outside the home. Because if she needs private childcare, the costs are tremendous, and they are now escalating. Poor women, minority women, women who don't have as much, ah, education, or they don't have the right degrees, especially need childcare so they can continue education, they can continue training, and they can work outside the home. The status of childcare at the moment is if you are poor, you can afford childcare, but if you start working you cannot. So, it forces women to stay in low, menial paying jobs, or not work at all. And the majority of women who work in California work because they need, have to work. So that was an issue that was discussed by a lot of, almost every member, [Camera noise] [No audio] [Camera noise] [Chambers] Over all how would you characterize the way the Governor reacted? [NOW Rep.] was, ah, trying. I commend him, and I think we all commend him, for the efforts that he has made. There is a long way to go. And, it ruffles my feathers, a little bit, to hear him keep talking about priorities when we think women's rights are also priorities. And I think we are realistic in our expectations. Ah. [Chambers] Do you think you brought across some major points to him today that maybe changed his outlook on things? I think we gave him some information, ah, that he may have not heard before and I think, that it was, since it was such a cross-section of women's groups, ah, that when he could hear women reacting with one another and really saying, "Right on," and "That's true," from all sides of the room. I think that he understood that. I think he got some information from us, that he may not, he may not have been clear on before. So, I'm hoping that he will act on that.