Office Hours with City Councilwoman Natalie Arroyo

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to serve as elected official with only female colleagues, then you need to meet Natalie Arroyo. In 2014, Natalie was elected to the Eureka, California City Council, making the City of Eureka the only all-women city council in California in 2015. She is also the first Latina elected to Eureka City Council.

As a member of the Eureka community working in a local environmental nonprofit, Natalie felt that her voice and views weren’t being represented at the table by her City Council at the time. Having never run for office before, she met with a current City Councilmember to discuss her desire to run. The Councilmember gave her information and advice on running in her community. This elected official went on to serve for two years with Natalie on the City Council and gave her useful advice on policies and processes for serving as a Councilmember.

As a young woman and woman of color, Natalie knows she has been an important voice in her community and often times, a critical vote. For everyone who’s on the fence of running for office, Natalie has a message for you.

“We need you. Your communities need you. You have a perspective that not everyone has…and your perspective is essential for good-decision making.”

In this Office Hour, Natalie emphasizes that having a network of support is truly valuable for women running and serving in elected office.

At She Should Run, we are here to provide you that network. We’re here to offer inspiration, a supportive community, access to role models and mentors, and thoughtful guidance and advice for as long as it takes to ensure women leaders, like you, to know their leadership is needed in elected office.