SACRAMENTO, CA — Representatives from more than 40 women rights organizations and women leaders throughout California held press conferences today in Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles to urge women to vote on November 2nd to ensure women’s rights stay intact.

Women leaders at the Sacramento press conference were Janice Rocco, southwest regional director of California NOW; Genevieve Shiroma, SMUD board member; and Deborah Ortiz, Vice President of Public Affairs for California, Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte and a former State Senator.

Voting this election cycle is crucial to ensure California women to continue to have access to abortion and family planning as well as pay equity, women’s rights in the workplace and equal marriage rights. California needs more women running for office, but women candidates like Meg Whitman, running for Governor, and Carly Fiorina, running for US Senator, have made it clear women’s rights are not a priority for them.

"If women don’t vote, we will risk losing many of the rights we have gained in the last 60 years,” said Deborah Ortiz, former State Senator and now Vice President of Public Affairs California for Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte. “While we all support and want to elect more women, we must remember that we need to elect the right women.”

Several men from the Fiorina campaign and the California Republican Party stationed themselves outside the Sacramento press conference presumably to speak to women's issues.

A recent New York Times/CNN polls shows that women are still more likely to vote democratic, “This election cycle they may stay home, giving more of the decision-making to men by default."

"Women’s votes are critical in this election. A majority of women say they are more likely to vote if they can help defeat a candidate who doesn’t trust women to make their own reproductive health care decisions. We're here to talk about Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina’s attacks on a woman’s right to choose,” explained Janice Rocco, Southwest Regional Director of the National Organization for Women.

Fiorina, who has been endorsed by Sarah Palin, has said that if given the opportunity she would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. Whitman has been silent on issues important to women such as protecting funding for family planning services.

The Coalition urged women to vote for the following candidates with proven history of working for women’s rights:

Governor: Jerry Brown

US Senator: Barbara Boxer

Lt. Governor: Gavin Newsom

Attorney General: Kalama Harris

Insurance Commissioner : Dave Jones

Below is a complete list of the coalition:

AFSCME District Council 36: Cheryl Parisi, Executive Director

Asian Pacific Islander Capitol Association: Melanie Ramil, President

California Alliance: Sara Nichols

California List: Bettina Duval, President

California Nurses Association California Young Democrats: Alissa Ko, President

CDP Arab American Caucus: Sarah Moussan, Communications Director

Commission Femenil/San Fernando Valley: Maria Reza, President

Consumer Attorneys of California: Lea Ann Tratten, Political Director

Democratic Party of Sacramento County: Ann Molander, Chair

Emerge America: Karen Middleton, President

Equality California (EQCA): Andrea Shorter & Lauren Custer

Fem Dem of Sacramento County

Feminist Majority: Katherine Spillar, Executive Vice President

L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center: Annie Goto, Boardmember

Los Angeles African-American Women’s PAC: Jacqueline Hawthorne, President

MANA: Ana Valdez, President

NARAL Pro-Choice California: Amy Everitt, State Director

National Organization for Women (NOW), CA: Patricia Bellasalma & Janice Rocco

National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC): Lindsay Bubar

Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte- Deborah Ortiz, VP Public Affairs for CA

Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California: Kathy Kneer, President

Dolores Huerta, leader in working poor and women’s rights

Planned Parenthood Shasta-Diablo Action Fund: Heather Saunders Estes, President

Pro-Choice Students for Boxer: Miranda Peterson

Sacramento County Young Democrats: Lindsey Nitta, President

San Francisco Women's Political Action Committee: Heidi Sieck, President

SMUD: Genevieve Shiroma, Boardmember

SMUD: Nancy Bui, Boardmember

Stonewall Democrats of Sacramento County: Heather Minton, VP

ULTCW-SEIU: Laphonza Butler, President

Women’s Political Committee (WPC): Valerie Wisot, Co-Chair

Betsy Butler, Candidate for 53rd Assembly District

Board of Equalization, District 2: Betty Yee

Hon. Abbe Land, Councilmember, City of West Hollywood

Hon. Jan Perry, Los Angeles City Councilmember

Hon. Lindsey Horvath, Councilmember, City of West Hollywood

Hon. Wendy Greuel, Los Angeles City Controller

SEIU: Mary Hernandez, Political Director

SMUD: Genevieve Shiroma, Boardmember