Rafa Castellanos for Supervisor

Diverse coalition of 100 San Diego area women comes together to support Castellanos for Supervisor in South County

In another sign of the broad support powering his grassroots campaign, Rafael Castellanos today announced the support of a diverse coalition of 100 San Diego area women, including teachers, physicians, homemakers, activists, and elected officials.

Janice Brown, a member of the Women’s Coalition for Castellanos and Chair of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation*, said: “Women across San Diego are coming together to support Rafael Castellanos because he is committed to fighting for opportunity, equality and dignity for every San Diegan.  The son of immigrants who worked from an early age to support his family, Rafael Castellanos knows that when women get a fair shot to succeed, all our communities are at their best. We know Rafael has what it takes to build a brighter economic future and stamp out inequality as our next County Supervisor.”

Among the pressing issues facing women throughout California and San Diego are:

• Poverty Levels - 33% of female-headed households live in poverty, and 13% of all women
• Wage Gap - Women make $0.89 for every dollar paid to men. Latina women make $0.43 for every dollar paid to white men.
• Wage Theft - Women, in particular immigrants and women of color, account for a disproportionate share of the roughly 40,000 yearly minimum wage law violations in San Diego every year
• Health Insurance - 8.5% of women aged 18-64 are uninsured

Rafael Castellanos said: “Women are at the center of our families and communities, but too often aren’t at the center of our political priorities.  From lifting families out of poverty, to closing the wage gap and expanding access to affordable healthcare, County Government needs to do more to ensure women and families get a fair shot to get ahead and stay ahead.  I’ll fight for change in County Government and put the focus on helping women and families thrive.”

A full list of the 100-member strong Women’s Coalition for Rafael Castellanos can be viewed below.  *Titles and affiliations are included for identification purposes only and do not imply an organizational endorsement.

This coalition of women adds to growing support for Castellanos, who has also been endorsed by a San Diego coalition of African-American leaders, UNITE HERE Local 30, the San Diego Hotel Workers’ Union, Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez and Chula Vista Councilwoman Jill Galvez, and Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, among others.  Earlier this month, Castellanos unveiled a proposal to launch a County Office of Fair Labor Standards to strengthen enforcement of labor laws and crack down on wage theft. Read more here.

Castellanos serves as Port Commissioner for San Diego and is a Democratic candidate for County Supervisor in San Diego’s 1st District.  To learn more about Rafael Castellanos’ campaign visit: RafaCastellanos.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Rafael Castellanos grew up in rural Nevada to immigrant parents and was the first in his family to graduate college and law school.  As an attorney, Castellanos has helped small businesses grow, built affordable housing and protected immigrants’ and refugees’ rights.  Serving as Port Commissioner, Rafael Castellanos led the charge to pass the Port’s landmark Climate Action Plan and accomplish the biggest clean-up in the history of San Diego Bay.

Women’s Coalition for Castellanos