Peninsula Labor Advocate Rayna Lehman Named Woman Of The Year

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — Rayna Lehman, the director of the AFL-CIO Community Services Program of the San Mateo Central Labor Council, was selected as the 2021 Woman of the Year in the 13th Senate District.

State Senator Josh Becker, who represents the district, selected Lehman for the honor and presented her with the award virtually on Monday.

According to a news release, Lehman has worked since 1982 with the program, which assists union members and their families with necessities like child care and health care assistance. Lehman has coordinated food distributions twice a month for 800 families since last spring.

“Thank you, Senator, I’m overwhelmed,” Lehman said after accepting the award. “I see friends and family here, I see people who mean so very much to me, people who have supported me, people who have given me hope, given me love, and taught me so much over the years. It’s been an honor for me to do this work. To be named Woman of the Year on International Women’s Day is stupendous.”

Lehman, a Menlo Park resident, has served on the San Mateo County Planning Commission along with a number of other commissions and boards in the county. She also created the San Mateo County Trades Introduction Program, which places students into union construction apprenticeships.

“Rayna is a wonder,” Becker said in a news release. “She connects union members going through hard times to resources in the community. In normal times, this is a difficult job. During COVID, her endurance is almost superhuman. She is constantly answering phones and finding out about new services and programs to help members. Most significantly, she connected with Second Harvest to create and establish the drive-through food giveaways that feed the households of hundreds of out-of-work union members.”