Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, is responding to the Jan. 10 editorial, "Outdated state boards need to retire gracefully," which stated: "There are numerous commissions and boards the state can no longer afford. At up to $465,000 a year, the Commission on the Status of Women is one of them."

Last week, Gov. Jerry Brown proposed eliminating the Commission on the Status of Women – the only state agency overseeing issues impacting women. The Bee's editorial board agreed, calling the commission "outdated."

Do the governor and The Bee really believe women have achieved equality in California?

Women have made progress in the 47 years since Gov. Edmund G. Brown established the commission, but we have a long way to go.

Women are 50.3 percent of the state population, but only 28 percent of California legislators are women. Only 24 percent of county supervisors are women, and just 16.8 percent of the U.S. Congress. Only one Fortune 500 company in California has a woman CEO and just 16 of the top 400 California companies are run by women.

Debt, unemployment and income inequality are at all-time highs. More than one-third of households headed by women with children have an income below the poverty level. Compared to men, California women earn 84 cents on the dollar; African American women earn 68 cents and Latinas 59 cents. At the same time, the state has been slashing services upon which women and children rely.

Now, more than ever, women need a voice in our government. Decisions we make to balance our budget disproportionately impact women. Forty percent of California women will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime, yet California has stopped funding domestic violence shelters.

IHSS, child care, health care and CalWORKs, serving primarily women and children have all been decimated. Most jobs in education, health care and child care are held by women. These jobs are disappearing because of budget cuts. And, women are often hit by reductions in more than one service.

The Commission on the Status of Women is the official voice of California women and advises the administration on gender equity issues. It is difficult to believe that Gov. Brown wishes to silence the voice of women in his administration, while threatening the ability of women to survive and succeed.

The proposal to eliminate the commission reflects a failure to understand the burdens disproportionately borne by women due to budget cuts, making the commission's voice critical.

When decision-makers understand how their actions impact men and women differently, they are better prepared to make sound choices. Our government exists for the people and by the people, yet over half of the people have been historically underrepresented, undervalued and denied.

That history can't be eliminated, and neither should the Commission on the Status of Women be.

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Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, is responding to the Jan. 10 editorial, "Outdated state boards need to retire gracefully," which stated: "There are numerous commissions and boards the state can no longer afford. At up to $465,000 a year, the Commission on the Status of Women is one of them.

• Read more articles by Noreen Evans