Mayor Eric Garcetti’s newest appointment to the City of Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women, businesswoman and community advocate Pamela A. Bakewell, was confirmed this week by the Los Angeles City Council.
“L.A. is at its best when we protect equal opportunity for all, regardless of gender,” said Mayor Garcetti. “With her accomplishments in business and distinguished record of advocacy for underrepresented communities, I know Pamela will bring valuable insight to the work of deepening our commitment to gender equity and inclusiveness. She will help make certain those values remain central to our work here at the City of Los Angeles.”
A longtime leader in a number of South L.A. philanthropic and community organizations, including the board of directors of the Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade, Bakewell is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Bakewell Company — one of the largest African-American commercial real estate development companies in the Western United States. As COO, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the real estate development and redevelopment projects, as well as the print and broadcasting divisions of the Bakewell Company — which includes the L.A. Sentinel and L.A. Watts Times newspapers.
Previously, Bakewell served as executive vice president and chief neighborhood officer at the Los Angeles Urban League. She currently serves as president of Sabriya’s Castle of Fun Foundation, which assists hospitalized children affected by leukemia, sickle cell disease and other blood disorders. Bakewell has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and is a member of the Coalition of 100 Black Women.
“I’m honored that Mayor Garcetti has appointed me to the Commission on the Status of Women,” said Bakewell. “My life experiences as a businesswoman, advocate, and mother of five adult children have shaped how I see the world — and reinforced for me the importance of gender equality and all that it means for the future of our city. Working together, I know we can make a difference by supporting the Mayor’s commitment to making sure that women and girls are moving forward and upward in Los Angeles.”
Established in 1975 and re-launched by Garcetti with an emphasis on promoting gender equity citywide, the Commission on the Status of Women has a mandate to advance the general welfare of women and girls in Los Angeles, and to ensure that all women have full and equal participation in City government.
In August, he signed an executive directive calling on city departments to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which the City adopted in 2004.The directive requires each General Manager or Head of Department to submit a Gender Equity Action Plan by February 1, 2016.
