At the January 12th City Council meeting, the Council unanimously approved establishing a formal committee focused on Women and Girls in Culver City. This new committee aims to focus on investment in women and girls, with a priority of evaluating processes and support for women and girls in leadership.
Councilmember Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, the only woman currently serving on the Council and the sixth woman to serve as mayor in the city’s history, said the idea has been taking shape for years. McMorrin explained that during her time serving on the Council, she reflected on “what can we do to support women and girls more in leadership in Culver City?” and wanted to envision ways to “have the city invest in the next generation of leadership.”
“There are definitely systemic issues,” she said, highlighting topics such as reproductive justice, unequal pay, menstrual equity, and exploitation in reference to the Epstein files. She also noted tangible obstacles, such as late-night council meetings and the limited awareness of available childcare at meetings.
With 100 years of Culver City existing, we’ve only had six women mayors. She emphasizes, “it is not that women are not capable of leadership, but that is a really salient data point,” communicating the real barriers in place to women showing up to serve.
Drawing on inspiration from other councils, including the Long Beach City Council, which launched a similar body in 2023, the Los Angeles County initiative established in 2024, and the state’s commission, all focused on women and girls, McMorrin explained that the seats on the committee will be for the following: someone from the city, someone from the school district or CCUSD, and three remaining community seats which would to ensure a community-focused committee that receives recommendations informed by the wider community.
Councilmember McMorrin underscored that “The goal is to have at least four community engagement opportunities to allow the committee to hear from the community, not just women and girls, but the entire community, in terms of what they would like to see.” And additionally highlighted the importance of making room for younger people and those not traditionally represented in City Hall or other spaces to vocalize their concerns.
The creation of the committee marks a step toward addressing longstanding barriers and ensuring that women and girls in Culver City have stronger pathways to leadership and civic participation.