The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a proposal to begin the creation of a local Office of Gender Equity. The proposed office would be guided by the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, an international agreement known as CEDAW.
The motion was introduced by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. If approved, it would direct the county's chief executive officer and the director of public health, in coordination with County Counsel, to develop a feasibility report regarding the new department. County Counsel is the office that provides legal representation and advice to the county government.
The requested report must be submitted to the Board within 60 days of the proposal's passage. As part of this review, local officials are required to identify where the new office would be situated within the county’s existing governmental structure and which current services could be used to support its operations.
The proposal also requires officials to determine if the county's existing CEDAW ordinance should be amended or if a new ordinance is necessary to establish and enforce the department's goals. Additionally, the report would include a phased timeline for the agency's development and a plan for gathering input from diverse community stakeholders to inform its establishment.
If the office is established, residents could notice changes in how gender-related complaints are handled or how county resources are distributed to address discrimination. The move would signal a shift toward aligning local county policy with international standards established by the United Nations. Depending on the feasibility report's findings, the county might introduce new legal requirements for businesses or public agencies under a revised or new CEDAW ordinance, though the specific day-to-day impacts on individual paychecks or taxes are not yet detailed.
The proposal sets a precedent for local governments adopting international human rights frameworks into municipal law. The knock-on effects could include changes to how other county departments, like Public Health or the Chief Executive Office, coordinate on gender equity issues. Following the 60-day feasibility review, the Board of Supervisors will be tasked with reviewing the results to decide on the final structure and funding of the office. The next immediate step is the board's vote on Tuesday.