Laura Spanjian (center) is joined by PUC head Susal Leal and Supervisor Bevan Dufty at a City Hall Women Making History Awards ceremony. Susan and Bevan praised Laura’s hard work as an activist and a public servant. Photo by Rink.

The San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women presented the annual “Women Making History” awards ceremony in the Board of Supervisors chambers on March 6, which was also televised on Channel 29. Among the honorees was our own openly lesbian Laura Spanjian. Board President Aaron Peskin called the ceremony “one of the more extraordinary events that we hold here on an annual basis, wherein we have the opportunity to honor 12 extraordinary women who have made history and given mightily to the people of San Francisco.” He then introduced Commission President Angela Williams who said, “I am joined by my fellow commissioner, Rhea Shorter, former president of the Commission on the Status of Women and also Fire Chief Joanne Hayes White.” She continued, “Today we pause to celebrate Women’s History Month. And I think it’s great that here in the city we have Nancy Pelosi doing such a great job in Congress, and our district attorney and police chief who happen to be women. So I’m really proud to be a woman here in San Francisco.” 

Supervisor Bevan Dufty invited SF Public Utilities Commission General Manager Susan Leal to join him in saying a few words about his honoree, Laura Spanjian.

“I would like to say politics is about people, and public service should be about helping people. I don’t think there’s anyone that offers that lesson better than Laura does,” said Dufty. “She is an amazing individual, and I think it’s wonderful to be able to recognize someone who is part of a younger generation of San Francisco leadership, who does so much to make politics about people.”

Spanjian is the Assistant General Manager for External Affairs at the SF PUC, which provides fresh drinking water to 2.4 million people, hydroelectric power to several cities, and wastewater service to San Francisco. Deeply committed to the community and political issues, Spanjian is active in both local and state politics, leading successful election campaigns for California state senators and SF supervisors. She serves on numerous boards, including the SF Democratic County Central Committee, Equality California, National Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, and the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club. 

“When I look around the room and see so many people who have worked with Laura in her career, starting here as an aide at the Board of Supervisors to Leslie Katz, after graduating Stanford and going to Muni in some of the most difficult days when Michael Byrnes was the general manager, and she worked so diligently for him and turned around service quality and gave Muni something to be very proud about,” said Dufty, “and now she has gone on to work at the PUC in an incredibly ambitious and important program to upgrade and improve our water infrastructure and hopefully to lead our city in directions of public power and solar energy that are so important.” He lauded Spanjian in her involvement with politics and LGBT rights. He called her “someone who is admired across all walks of San Francisco.” He elaborated, “I think it’s because of the person she is. She is a loving, warm, humorous person who is available to help and listen to others and give freely of herself in so many ways.” Dufty added, “I think she’s absolutely a delight, and in a business that a lot of people don’t want to go into - in politics - she makes it inviting.” He then invited general manager, former colleague at the board, and “someone that I thought about introducing as Laura’s boss but felt I should be accurate and say that she’s her mentor and friend and sometime boss,” Susan Leal.

“I think [it’s] not what you’ve accomplished, which is a heck of a lot, but what you will accomplish,” said Leal. “And whether you want to sit in that president’s chair, or whether you want to be the first woman elected on her own right to room 200, that door is open to you.” She added, “I think Bevan hit the nail on the head: it’s not only your real intelligence and your real drive, but the fact that you do it with heart, and you do it with dignity.” She noted, “And in this place, sometimes we’re lacking that, and you bring it here.”

“I am honored to be here with all of my friends and colleagues. I appreciate your belief in me, and everything you’ve taught me over the last decades has been so important to me,” said Spanjian. “There was a famous line - people may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do.” She said she admired her fellow awardees as those who “fight for something, and that is so important to me.” She said she also accepted the award on behalf of the people who she works with, “the amazing city community and particularly the LGBT community” that she is a part of. She said, “I wear many hats but no matter what I’m working on - whether it’s fighting for renewable energy or for LGBT rights - I do it because I really care, and that, I think, makes the difference.” Spanjian concluded, “With all of you by my side, I will always attempt to change the status quo, to make this great city even better, and to fight as hard as I can for equal rights.”