Napa Valley Register, December 8, 2005

With little fanfare, Napa County's Board of Supervisors has allowed the county's Commission on the Status of Women to fade into history.

The group was established locally in 1976 as an advisory group to the Board. The concept was born of legislation enacted in 1965 under then-Gov. Pat Brown. Most counties in the state created their own commissions.

"In the last several years, (the commission) appears to have been searching for a purpose," said Board chair Diane Dillon. "The commissioners took a bold and brave move."

The idea to dissolve came from the eight-member commission itself. In a letter to the Board, they said, "The commissioners believe that Napa County is working to achieve the major objectives for which the NCCOSW was initially established. There was a time when women's issues needed special consideration yet our community is dealing with those issues in a variety of ways."

Dillon said, "We still don't have equality, and parity in pay and other things still haven't happened."

County officials vowed to periodically review the need for its various commissions and committees, thus the elimination of two groups so far this year. While the commission did not have any direct staff involvement, Dillon said there is always some staff time that must be devoted, and times are financially tougher than they were 20 or 30 years ago.

Last February, the Commission on Self Esteem, a product of the mid-'80s, was dissolved. Its remaining funds of a little more than $1,400 was handed over to the Commission on the Status of Women to implement a self-esteem workshop for Napa County ninth-graders.

The event known as Good Enough was held in May 2005, and outgoing commissioners hope to see a local nonprofit group take it over. The women's commission still has a bank account containing $1,453.98. It will be turned over to a group to host the 2006 event.

There has also been political criticism of the group by those who questioned the need from the start.

Sally Piper, CEO of the conservative think tank Pacific Research Institute, wrote in 2002, following a commencement address at Cal State Sacramento, "Another speaker is Helen Grieco, California executive director of NOW and chair of something called the Napa Commission on the Status of Women. I was recently in Napa and the status of women did not appear to be threatened there nor in need of a commission. One of the workshops is 'wine appreciation,' so perhaps that has something to do with it."

Ginny Simms, on the Napa board that created the commission, called that not only a caustic remark, but inaccurate. "If we look at the workplace, we've created an economy that does not deal well with women," she said. "We need new ways to work."

Simms called Tuesday's Board action indicative of a very sad time. "It began with a lot of enthusiasm," but added she does not find a lot of sensitivity, especially in the workplace.

She noted the American Association of University Women may be the most active group working on behalf of women and girls, especially in the field of education.

Carol Whichard has served as chair of the commission. Other members included Pat McDermott, Sam Reyes, Jeri Hansen, Elisabeth Frater, Sharon Macklin, Jenny Valassopoulos and Kim Meredith.