LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Today, LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis appointed Aquilina Soriano Verdoza, founder and current Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) of Southern California, to serve on the County’s Commission for Women.

Last month, the LA County Board of Supervisors received a letter from Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) leaders expressing their disappointment in the lack of AAPI representation within the Commission for Women. In addition, they pointed out that no AAPI women were honored at this year’s Women of the Year Awards and Commemorative Celebration hosted by the Commission for Women on Monday, March 13, 2023.

AAPIs represent more than 16% of the overall population in LA County, which means one in six County residents is AAPI.

“After receiving a letter from AAPI leaders on the lack of representation within the Commission for Women, I vowed to appoint a woman leading the charge in uplifting the voices of this community,” said Supervisor Solis. “Under Aquilina’s leadership, the PWC has stood by, fought for, and defended the rights of women workers; many of who are immigrant mothers. This is the type of first-hand experience needed on our commissions and boards. Aquilina’s appointment to the Commission for Women will truly help us move the needle on equity.”

Aquilina has served as the Executive Director of the PWC for 23 years — a nonprofit serving and organizing the low-wage Pilipino immigrant community in Los Angeles County. She has been at the head of the PWC as it has been a part of the growing statewide and national movement of domestic workers. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Asian American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. A mother of two, she sees her work for social justice as a lifelong endeavor that she hopes to pass on to her daughters. She currently serves on the Board of Mission Asset Fund and as President of the Board of Directors of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

“I am energized to be able to bring my own community’s experiences and expertise to the LA County Commission for Women,” said Aquilina. “This is an important space to lift up and address the unique and specific issues that are being faced by women immigrant workers and women workers of color.”

“I’m grateful that Supervisor Solis would step up and immediately fill that void in the Commission for Women by appointing a woman-warrior leader in our AAPI community,” said Connie Chung Joe, Chief Executive Officer of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) and a co-author of the letter. “This is just the beginning.”

In 1975, the Commission for Women was created to represent the special interests and concerns of women of all races, ethnic and social backgrounds, religious convictions, sexual orientation, and social circumstances.

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