SACRAMENTO –Majority Leader Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), the first African American and first woman to hold the leadership position in the California Assembly, issues the following statement on Congresswoman Pelosi’s election:

”Everyone knows we can run for office and we can win but it's also very important, the symbolism of her having one of the most powerful positions in the country. It's not just a matter of being in office, but it's a matter of being in leadership and it's a matter of having power in institutions that have historically been male.”