
November 6 Election Results:
Women Make Gains. Obstacles Remain.
Susie and Steve Swatt analyze women's record in mid-term election. Published 10/8 by CALmatters and available on our FORUM page.


About the Authors
Paving the Way is written by four former journalists, senior legislative staffers and political consultants with more than 150 years of combined experience in reporting on or participating in California politics.
With a Foreword by California State Librarian Greg Lucas
Steve Swatt is a veteran political analyst and public affairs executive. He is a former award-winning political reporter with twenty-five years of journalism experience with the San Francisco Examiner, United Press International in Los Angeles, and KCRA-TV (NBC) in Sacramento. He received a BS in business administration and a master’s degree in journalism, both from the University of California, Berkeley.
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Susie Swatt is a member of the National Advisory Council of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley. She spent nearly forty years as a key staff member in the California Legislature. As a special assistant for the Fair Political Practices Commission, she researched and authored a study that won a national award for “investigative work in the public interest."
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Rebecca LaVally, Ph.D., teaches rhetorical criticism, persuasion, and political communication at California State University, Sacramento. She is a former editor of the California senate’s public-policy research office and a former Sacramento bureau chief for United Press International and Gannett News Service.
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Jeff Raimundo has spent more than twenty-five years as a political and public-relations consultant based in Sacramento. Previously, he enjoyed a twenty-five-year career as a newspaper reporter and editor with the Sacramento Bee and McClatchy Newspapers in Sacramento and Washington, DC.
“Finally, a must-read book that focuses on the trailblazing women who transformed the political landscape of California. Methodically researched, deeply insightful, and clearly written, this book weaves a rich tapestry of women’s history and narrative to create a forceful record of women’s civic achievements across the state.”
– Emerald Archer, Director
Center for the Advancement of Women
Mount Saint Mary’s University
Also by these authors:
Game Changers: Twelve Elections That Transformed California

“This simply is an excellent book, an excellent idea, excellently executed. It's compelling, easy reading without airs, telling the pertinent political stories that shaped California.”
--George Skelton
Political Columnist
The Los Angeles Times
Available from Amazon
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