LA County to study creation of gender equity office

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion Tuesday calling for a study of the feasibility of establishing a county Office of Gender Equity based on United Nations principles aimed at eliminating discrimination against women.

The motion by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath directs the county’s chief executive officer and director of public health, in consultation with county attorneys, to report back to the board in 60 days on the feasibility of creating the office.

The proposed office would be centered around principles of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, commonly known as CEDAW.

Horvath said during Tuesday’s meeting that the county already has a “strong foundation” on the issue of gender equity.

“But for to long, our gender equity work has been siloed without a central entity responsible for coordinating and advancing this work, which makes it harder to collaborate strategically, to leverage resources and to build on what’s already working,” Horvath said. An Office of Gender Equity would help change that.”

The motion directs county officials to recommend where the office could be situated within the existing county government structure and identify programs and services that could support its work.

The report will also include a “discussion of all existing resources, related programs and services, that could be leveraged to support the new office” and identify resources that would be needed to phase in an expanded scope of work, according to the motion.

County officials will also study whether the county’s existing CEDAW ordinance would need to be amended to incorporate the office and strengthen implementation of its principles, or whether a new county ordinance would be necessary.

The proposed report would also include a timeline and suggested phased approach for creating the office.

The motion calls for “a plan to engage with diverse community stakeholders to ensure community input and feedback is incorporated into the development and establishment” of the office.