Women

The women and children of this state are facing a crisis of major proportions. When California faces tough times, those times are even tougher for women and the families in their care. For the past several years, the state has consistently balanced its budget by cutting services to women and children. The California Commission on the Status of Women is needed now, more than ever, to ensure women are not unfairly burdened in this dire economy. It is the official voice of women in this state and advises the administration on gender equity issues.

State legislators honored six local women during a luncheon Friday for contributing to the business community and serving as role models. “Women make up a key part in the success of our economics and our recovery,” said keynote speaker Lisa Stevens of Wells Fargo Bank, adding that “women get better with age” because they are better at realizing perspective and learning from past experiences. Sen. Carol Liu and Assembly members Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) and Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge)

Two women reported Tuesday that a motorist rolled his vehicle window down and began masturbating as he drove pass them, police said. The women, who were both 23, were walking for exercise about 8:38 p.m. on Kenneth Road near Merriman Drive when a white, four-door, 2002 Toyota Camry pulled up and stopped at a curb, according to Glendale police reports. The driver of the Camry rolled down the passenger side window as they were walking by it, and one of the girls looked inside the Camry and saw the motorist masturbating, prompting her to yell, according to reports.

Nelson Nio is a man in a woman's world ? and he feels right at home. The self-defense instructor, producer of feminist theatrical events and rape-crisis counselor from Brentwood has recently thrown himself into the fight for women's rights. "I feel like I'm aligning everything that I do," Nio, 36, said. "I don't know. It just feels right." Members of the Glendale YWCA's Board of Directors also felt Nio was right. In June, they elected him as one of two men to serve on the board.

Glendale resident Charlotte Hogan believes in empowering women to take on leadership roles. Hogan, a volunteer and board member of the San Gabriel Valley Habitat For Humanity, is a mentor for women taking part in the Glendale Women's Build, a group of 20 women volunteers who are working to raise funds for Habitat For Humanity's upcoming Kenwood Project in Glendale. "Women have always had a soft spot in my heart," Hogan, 61, said. "This is a neat opportunity for us to bring women together to help build a future for families."

The Glendale Commission on the Status of Women announced its winners for the third annual Jewel of Glendale Award this week, selecting two women who they say have created exemplary results in their own lives and for the community. "This award is granted on the basis of succeeding despite obstacles in one's life," said Lana Haddad, city liaison to the commission. "It takes uncommon courage to make it through the challenges of everyday life." This year's winners were Cynthia "Chick" Benveniste, a cancer survivor and community activist, and Jeanne Brewer, owner of Acura of Glendale, who is highly involved with the community.

Who would have thought that a little white-walled living room in a Montrose condominium could be such a hotbed of literary energy? Vicki Abelson did, and she still does as she moves into year two hosting monthly literary salons in the vein of 20th-century writer Gertrude Stein, who held salons in her Paris home. What started as a platform to workshop her recently completed novel, Vicki Abelson’s Women Who Write has become so much more. Accomplished writers and singers share their latest work in front of a welcoming and often raucous group of 30 or so women who may or may not be writers themselves.

Women from Verdugo Valley Baptist Church enjoyed their monthly evening "Ladies Meeting" at the home of Pat McLeod in La Crescenta. "Beautiful for Thee" is the theme for these meetings, taken from "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Candace Johnson, Pastor Jesse Johnson's wife, presided over the devotionals from the King James Version Bible and presented each woman with an inspiring pad of paper with pen titled "Abundant Blessings for a Woman's Heart."

For all the progress made on the ethnic diversity front, female officers make up just 10% of the Glendale Police Department's sworn staff, records show. Of the 244 sworn officers employed with the Police Department last year, 219 were men and 25 were women. But the ratio here is higher than that of similarly sized law enforcement agencies elsewhere, such as those in Ontario or Modesto. As of 2011, 12 women held sworn positions in the Modesto Police Department, which had 230 officers.

In beginning her quest Friday to win a triple crown at the California Community College Track and Field Championships, Grace Zamudio didn't change her racing strategy. With a light breeze blowing, the Glendale Community College women's distance runner broke past the starting line in the 10,000-meter event and paced herself before breaking away from the pack in the final mile. Zamudio cleared the first hurdle in her quest to win three state championships, as she clocked 37 minutes:22.19 seconds to win the event at College of San Mateo and earn her first state title in track and field.

Having already captured three Western State Conference and Southern California championships, Grace Zamudio would next like to make a name for herself statewide. The Glendale Community College standout distance runner will seek to complete the task when she takes to the track Friday and Saturday at the California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field State Championships at College of San Mateo. The sophomore will look to close out her fabulous career at Glendale by attempting to win the 10,000-meter race Friday and the 5,000 and 1,500 on Saturday.

After building up the Glendale Community College men's and women's teams and leading each to appearances in the California Community College Athletic Assn. Golf Championship, Greg Osbourne resigned his post as coach to become Cal State Bakersfield's director of golf. Osbourne recently accepted the position with Bakersfield and will replace the retiring Dave Barber, effective June 6. He will coach both programs at Bakersfield, which will be joining the Western Athletic Conference next season.

Unlike past years in which the prestigious Ojai Tournament served as an entity unto itself for community college tennis, this year, players had to qualify out of conference tournaments. The 113th annual Ojai Valley Tournament was the final event for junior college tennis, with the Southern California Regionals and state tournament taking place under the umbrella of the prestigious tourney. “It was a lot different. You had to qualify this year,” Glendale Community College men's Coach Bob MacKay said.

MOORPARK - In her two seasons as a member of the Glendale Community College women's track and field team, Grace Zamudio has enjoyed plenty of banner performances. At the Western State Conference finals at Moorpark College on Friday, Zamudio added another one with a record-setting performance. Zamudio won two individual races, including recording a school-best time of 4 minutes 28.86 seconds to win the 1,500-meter race, to lead the Vaqueros to a tie for second place. “It's a special accomplishment and to do it in my favorite event is special,” said Zamudio, who eclipsed the record of 4:33 by Shari Ewing in 1981.

View Larger Map A man held two pregnant pharmacy workers at gunpoint Wednesday after demanding powerful prescription painkillers in a note. Karmen Sefyan, owner of Arianna Medical Pharmacy in Glendale, and a co-worker were alone just after noon inside the drugstore in the 3600 block of North Verdugo Road when she said a man walked in pointing a gun at them. Sefyan - whose pregnancy is nearly full term - and her co-worker were not harmed during the incident. "The whole thing took a few minutes," she said The man, described as wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, was gripping a demand note for the prescription narcotic pain reliever Norco, which Sefyan, a pharmacist, said is stronger than the popular painkiller Vicodin.

With a combat career already filled with firsts, the history in the making that is Ronda Rousey's career now officially has an opponent to co-author the next chapter in women's mixed-martial-arts chronicle. With Rousey sitting cageside along with Glendale Fighting Club trainer Edmond Tarverdyan and friend and fellow GFC trainee Marina Shafir, bantamweights Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano made their Ultimate Fighting Championship debuts Saturday in Las Vegas at “The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale,” thrilling the Mandalay Bay crowd with Zingano winning the back-and-forth barnburner via third-round technical knockout.

With essentially a brand new cast of players, the Glendale Community College women's tennis team did something it hadn't done since 1999 - qualify for the Southern California Regionals. While the Vaqueros would have liked to have extended their season, they made strides to improve the program's outlook. "It's a tremendous reward just to get this far," Glendale assistant Coach Deo Sy said after seventh-seeded Glendale suffered a 5-0 road loss to second-seeded Mt. San Antonio College in a first-round match Tuesday.

While no one from the Glendale Community College women's tennis team was able to keep hope of a Western State Conference Tournament title alive Saturday, each managed to qualify for the Southern California Regionals. Vaquero singles players Sofia Tavitian and Alexandra Amor punched their ticket by reaching the second day of the conference tournament at Ventura College, while Sydney Farzadkish and Ashley Sumudio, a newly formed GCC doubles team, kept their seasons alive with a victory Saturday.