SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Rebecca Morgan broke through a Capitol barrier of sorts Monday when she became the first woman California state senator to wear pants on the Senate floor.
A wave of sub-freezing temperatures across Northern California prompted Morgan -- one of just four women in the 40-member Senate -- to make sartorial history in the staid upper house.
'What difference does it make who wears the pants?' asked Morgan, clad in dark wool slacks and a checkered blazer. 'I really enjoy slacks and, frankly, the skirts that are available this year are shorter than I'm comfortable wearing.'
The temperature was 30 degrees when she left her Los Altos Hills home for Sacramento Monday, said Morgan, a Republican.
The California Senate has a formal dress code requiring 'appropriate attire,' including coats and ties for men, during sessions in its ornately restored chamber.
Women reporters have learned 'appropriate attire' tends to be whatever they have on. But some senators prefer that their women staffers do not wear pants at the Capitol. Women senators have always worn skirts and dresses.
Morgan's departure from tradition did not go unnoticed by her colleagues. 'A group of them got over to one side and said, 'Hey, Becky's got pants on,'' said one senator.
Commented a Senate staffer after Monday's floor session: 'I didn't get to see her, darn it. I'll have to go to her office and see what she looks like.'
Morgan, 50, first elected to the Senate in 1984, says she may wear pants again. 'A conservative, well-tailored pants suit is far more professional than a mini-skirt, which is practically what they are this year,' she asserted.
