Committee Seeks Help in Exploring Gender Bias

In November, representatives from the county chapters of the National Organization for Women met with the Ventura County family law mediation department. The meeting was amiable and we are following up with some recommendations. We are also looking forward to future meetings.

NOW contends that many of the problems that women encounter in the court system are the result of living in a society that discriminates against women.

The Judicial Council Advisory Committee on Gender Bias in the Courts is collecting data and facts on this. We encourage you, especially if you feel you have been treated unfairly in the court system, to give input to this committee. A public hearing will be held Jan. 30 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Mark Taper Hall of Economics, California Museum of Science and Industry, 700 State Drive, Los Angeles.

If you prefer to give written testimony, you can send your story to: Ms. Bobbi Welling, Staff Attorney, Administrative Office of the Courts, Judicial Council of California, 350 McAllister St., Room 3154, San Francisco, CA 94102.

You can change the way courts treat women. Contact Ventura-Oxnard NOW (644-6352) or Simi-Conejo NOW (583-1213) if you would like help or additional information.

DON CANNON

Ventura

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