Sheila Kuehl
Kuehl was elected to the California State Assembly in 1994, becoming the first openly gay person elected to the California legislature. While running for office Kuehl found she was able to offset some negative stereotypes people had about lesbians thanks to their familiarity with her role as Zelda. She told an interviewer "When people know gay people personally, they tend to feel differently about the whole community. And all of a sudden, here's a person that they knew very well that they found out was lesbian."
Sheila Kuehl
In her first three years on the Board, she has undertaken or collaborated in a number of initiatives and motions to improve the quality of life and reform systems in the County. A partial list of her achievements includes successfully championing the effort to raise the minimum wage, creating a Citizens' Oversight Commission for the Sheriff's Department, providing unprecedented funding and services for LA County's homeless population and those trying to find and keep affordable housing, and launching an historic Women and Girls Initiative to address the disproportionate burdens and disadvantages faced by women and girls.