March is National Women’s History Month honoring the extraordinary achievements of American women. Two Marin events mark that celebration.

On March 7, the Marin Women’s Political Action Committee had its 21st annual “Elected Women’s Luncheon.” Later this month, on March 30, the Marin History Museum Gala is set for Mill Valley’s Community Center. The theme is “Honoring Women of Marin — Past and Present.” Twenty-five of Marin’s most accomplished contemporary women will be honored.

The history museum, which is celebrating 90 years of stewarding Marin County’s history, is located at the Boyd Gatehouse adjacent to Boyd Park in San Rafael. Louise Boyd was remarkable. She is a shining example of a pioneer Marin woman and mentor. An Arctic explorer, she donated her home, its gatehouse and its grounds, Boyd Park, to the city.

In 1887, she was born in San Rafael to heirs of the Bodie gold-mine bonanza. Louise Boyd displayed intellectual firepower and utilized her financial resources to independently charter seven expeditions to the Arctic between 1929 and 1941 to document polar landscapes and conduct scientific research.

In much of America, our education system is lacking when teaching our nation’s history and civics. Nonprofits like Marin History Museum play a crucial role in closing that gap. Curriculums need to include not just California’s heritage, which is taught to third graders, but the background of kids’ own hometowns and county. Educators do it by partnering with local museums and historical societies.

Join me as a Marin History Museum member to support this effort. Membership details are at marinhistory.org.

Two weeks ago, International Women’s Day was commemorated at the luncheon for elected women. A dozen attendees were women serving in elected office for the first time. Larkspur Mayor Catherine Way presided at the event at San Rafael’s Peacock Gap Golf Club. Men, regarded as “allies,” attended, including Congressmember Jared Huffman and state Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire.

The featured speaker was Carolyn Coleman, executive director and CEO of the League of California Cities. The league advocates for 483 cities and towns at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C. The Kansas native’s message was for elected officials not to lose themselves in the dysfunction and chaos emanating from Washington. That’s easier said than done.

The annual lunch’s goal is encouraging pro-choice women to run for office. This year’s emphasis was recruiting younger women, particularly from underrepresented communities, to lead their counties, towns, school boards and the thousands of California’s elected special purpose districts.

A tried-and-true launching ground for elected office is by first being appointed a city or county commission. On May 8 at 7 p.m., the Marin Women’s PAC will offer an online class providing advice on how to successfully apply for an appointment to one of Marin’s commissions and boards. Further details will be posted in April on the group’s website: mwpac.org.

March is a good time to note that we’ve come a long way. With 22 women out of 40 members, California’s Senate is more than 50% women for the first time in history. With 37 women out of 80 members, gender parity is close in the state Assembly.

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Meanwhile, the voter-enacted California Coastal Commission is under attack from the “Trump-Musk” administration. Those concerned about protecting the coast from overdevelopment hoped that this commission vacancy would be filed by a Marin or Sonoma County official who represents the coast.

The logical and best choice would have been Supervisor Dennis Rodoni, whose Second District covers Marin’s coastal zone. Someone who represents the coast has the knowledge and electoral incentive to be an effective coast advocate.

The state Senate Rules Committee, chaired by Senate President Pro Tem McGuire (D-North Coast), instead appointed Ariel Kelley, a member of the Healdsburg City Council. Her northern Sonoma County city is about 30 miles from the shore. Rodoni got the consolation prize as Kelley’s alternate.

Columnist Dick Spotswood of Mill Valley writes on local issues Sundays and Wednesdays. Email him at spotswood@comcast.net.