'Why Do Young Women Think Lady Gaga is More Powerful Than Nancy Pelosi?'

Francine Busby, executive director of Run Women Run in San Diego County, is scheduled as guest speaker when the Redlands Area Democratic Club meets this Saturday in Loma Linda.

Busby's talk, "The Rising Tide of Women," will include statistics to illustrate this trend in leadership, organizers said.

An announcement advancing the meeting poses several questions Busby intends to discuss:

"The race is on to increase the number of women from board rooms to parliaments, Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Congress.

"Why? Because the most effective way to increase profits, prosperity, peace, equality and justice is to increase the number of women in policy making positions.

"So why does the United States rank at about the 90th place in the number of women in elected office?

"And why do young women think that Lady Gaga is more powerful than Nancy Pelosi?"

Busby, a past Democratic congressional candidate in San Diego, will address these issues and more, organizers said. There will be a question-and-answer period following her formal presentation.

Busby is a graduate of UC Irvine, and she worked as a travel manager and marketer for the Walt Disney Travel company before becoming involved in politics, according to her bio.

"She ran two successful school bond campaigns in 1998 and 2000, became president of the Cardiff Education Foundation in 2000, was appointed to fill a vacancy to the Cardiff School Board, and in 2002, was elected for a full school board term," Democratic Club organizers said.

Busby has served as an adjunct professor of Women's Studies at California State University-San Marcos. She has also served on governing boards of numerous community organizations, including serving as the founding president of the Casa Teresa Central Guild in Orange County. She has been a candidate for Congress in the 50th congressional district.

Run Women Run is a non-partisan political action committee that inspires, recruits, trains and mentors pro-choice San Diego women who are seeking elected or appointed office.

The Redlands Area Democratic Club meeting is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. at Napoli Italian Restaurant, 24960 Redlands Blvd.

"Please try to arrive by 12:00pm in order to eat and get settled by the time for the speaker, at 1:00pm," organizers said. "A business meeting will follow the speaker and discussion period. The meeting will be finished at 3pm."