SR-106-033
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JUN 2 3 19S1
CA:RMM:LBC:se
TO:
Mayor And City Counc11
FROM:
City Attorney
SUBJECT:
The Commission on the Status of Women -
A Brief OverVlew
I. INTRODUCTION
The City Council has requested the C1ty Attorney's office to
study the creation by ordinance of a local Commission on the
Status of Women. The following is a brief overVlew of existing
CommiSSlons ln or affectlng California and thelr purposes,
functions, and proJects.
There is currently a Natlonal Association of Commlsslons for
Women, a Callfornia CommiSSlon on the status of women, twenty
California County CommissIons, six California CIty Commissions,
and seven Californla Comrnunlty Cornmisslons. All of them have
similar goals, but each of them functions in a slightly
diffferent capacity, expeclally those on the varlOUS governmental
levels.
II. THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COMMISSIONS FOR WOMEN
Back9round
The Interstate ASsOclation of Comm1ss1ons on the Status of
Women was formally organlzed, adopted bylaws, and elected
officers in June 1970, on the 50th annlversary of the Women's
Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor.
In 1974 the organization was
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JUN 2 3 1981
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restructured and renamed "The National AssociatIon of CommissIons
for Women."
P~r~ose
The purposes of the NACW as stated ~n the bylaws are:
- to foster a closer relationship and a fuller exchange of
ideas among members;
-to further the equal legal, social, political, economIC,
and educational opportunity and advancement of all women and men:
- to elimInate d1scriminatlon on the basis of sex, race,
age, religion, national origin, or marltal status in all phases
of American SOCIety:
- to promote the dissemination of information and provide
counsel on opportunIties for the effective partlcipat10n of women
in private and public sectors;
- to encourage women to assume init~ative and accept their
responsIbility in the removal of legal and other barrIers to the
realization of their basic human rlghts.
MemberShIp
Membership in NACW is avaIlable to any offlcial Commission
on the Status of Women or ltS equivalent organization in each
state, commonwealth, territory, city, county, and the Dlstrlct of
Columbia, or other governmental jurIsdiction. Membershlp 15
based on payment of annual dues, submission of a copy of offICIal
authorIzation establishIng the applicant Commission, statement of
acceptance of purposes of NACW, and presentation of a current
roster of Commission membership.
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According to NACW bylaws, no action of NACW 1S blnding on
member Commissions. Neither are there requirements of action by
Commissions as a condition of membership in NACW. Payment of
annual dues and sUbscription to the statement of purpose are the
only formal requirements.
III. THE CALIFORNIA COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
Background and_purpose
The Cal1fornia CommissIons on the Status of Women was
established by the State Leglslature In 1965 to:
- work to elIminate inequities in laws, practices and
conditIons WhICh affect women
- study the changing roles and responsIbilItIes of women,
and the lmpact of these changes on people, institutlons and
soclety
- promote means by which women can realize their potential
and contribute more fully to society
- act as a source of informatIon for the public and
government on the status of women in education, employment,
business and other areas of concern
- give technical and consultlve advice to government and
other publIC, educational and private entities which work to meet
the specIal needs of women
- report its findings and recornmmendatlons to the
Legislature and the Governor.
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Funct~ons
LegislatIve Liaison: The Commission maintaIns lIaison with
the California Legislature on the needs of women throughout the
state. ThIS legislative actIvIty lnvolves:
- workIng wIth the Legislature in preparing needed
legislatIon
- analyzing bills
-establlshing positions on bills related to Commission
projects and concerns
- testifying before legislatIve committees
- making information on legislative developments avallable
to women's groups and other organizations WhICh share the
Commission's areas of interest.
Information Center: The Commission has developed and
continually updates and adds to an informatIon center on the
needs and actIvities of women in the state. This Information IS
made available to government agencies, the prlvate sector,
voluntary and professional organizations, schools and colleges,
and indIviduals.
The commission responds to written and verbal requests for
lnformation. Letters from Callfornla women about theIr
IndivIdual problems are the basis for a weekly column, "A Woman
Ought To Know," provided by the Commission as a public service to
varIOUS California newspapers, reaching nearly one and one-half
million readers.
The Commission maIntains a lIbrary on women's issues which
1S unique in the state. It contains a variety of historlcal and
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current documents on women and their role in society. The
library is open to the publlC during working hours.
Technical and Consultin~ AssIstance: The Commission
provldes technIcal and consulting assistance to a wIde range of
publlC, private and governmental entitles on projects WhlCh work
toward the primary Commission goals of:
- promotIng ways in which women can maximize their
participatlon in soclety and
- eliminating laws, practices or conditions WhICh impose
special inequitIes on women.
In additIon to the California CommIssion on the Status of
Women, CalIfornIa has three dozen city, county and communIty
commissIons on the status of women. The State CommissIon
maintains a close working relatIonship with each one of these
independent organIzations.
Special ProJects: Projects are selected In response to
demonstrated concerns of Ca1Ifornla women. Current projects
include:
- a statistical sampling on a statewide basis of the needs
of California women in 1980
- a study of the concept of equal pay for work of comparable
worth as a way to bridge the earnings gap between men and women
- a multi-faceted program to reduce vIolence against women
{in cooperatIon with the state Attorney General}.
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IV. COUNTY, CITY AND COMMUNITY COMMISSIONS
Purposes
The following IS a samplIng of the purposes of various local
CommIssions in the State:
- investIgating dIscriminatIon and presenting an annual
report to the Board of Supervisors
- advising the Board of Directors or Board of Supervisors on
women's issues
- lobbying legislators on bills and issues concernlng women
- accepting and lnvestigatlng complaints of dlscrlmination
or harrassment in City/County offlces
- educatIng the populatIon of the City/County on women's
issues
- acting as a referral serVlces and information
dlssemination body
- maintainIng a Job bank for women
- conductIng public hearings on matters referred from the
Board of Supervisors/C2ty CounCIl.
Projects
Some of the projects of the local CommiSSIons in CalIfornIa
include:
- Re-entry Programs for dlsplaced homemakers at local
colleges
- Job Falrs/Career workshops
- Social Security Conference
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- Establishing local Sexual Abuse CouncIl
- Reforming inhe~ltance tax laws
- Conferences and workshops on Chl1d abuse, rape, pre-natal
care, alcoholIsm, nutrition, and self defense
- Women's Week (a week long serIes of workshops)
- Health Conference (how to pay for medical care, holistic
care and folk medIcine)
- "Women, Work and Money" - a four week serles on money
management and investment
- Annual Women's HIstory Week - poster and essay contests,
local displays
- Women's library
- publicatIon of a SerVIce Directory for Women
- Monthly publicatIons containlng pertinent informatIon and
a calendar of women's group actiVIties
- AccomplIshed moving of rape victim examination from police
stations to hospitals
- Self defense classes
- AntI PCP campaign
- Family violence service
-Training programs for police, public defenders, attorneys
and SOCIal service personnel on spousal assault, child molesting
and ChIld abuse
- Training fllm on family vIolence
- Women's Health Resources Dlrectory
- Legal Rights Handbook
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- Career conferences for Junior high women on
non-traditIonal women's careers
- Stress and time management seminars
- President's forum - annual meeting of presIdents of all
women's groups in the community.
CreatIns a Local Commission
All the local county, city and community commlssions were
created by the local legls1ative body, either a City Councll,
Board of SuperVIsors or Board of DIrectors. Usually, a need for
the Commission was shown by using census data. The CommiSSIon
was then created by ordinance or resolution.
The powers of the Commissions vary greatly across the state.
Some are merely advisory whIle others have powers equal to other
independent commissions.
The membership of each CornmlSSlon is as different as the
localities they represent. The National AssOclation of
CommIssions for Women has published gUIdelInes for membershIp as
follows:
- Women and men
- Ethnic and religious mInorIties
- Youth and mature age-groups
- Union representatlon
- Low-income representat1ves, lncluding a welfare rIghts
representative
- Handicapped
- Representatives from varIOUS state agencIes, such as state
socIal services and labor departments
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- Rural and urban representatives
- Representatives from public education, institutions of
hIgher learning, and vocational educatlon--faculty,
adminIstration, and students
- Representatives from bus1ness and Industry
- PrIvate voluntary groups, e.g., AAUW, LWV, BPW, YMCA, NOW,
WEAL, NWPC, faculty women's organizatlon, CLUW, Afflrmative
Action representatives, NAACP, Urban League, MeXIcan American
Women's National AssocIat1on (MANA), League of UnIted Latin
American Citizens (LULAC)
- Representation from a broad geographIC range
- Some statutory Commissions lnc1ude members of the
legislature
- political parties
- Attorneys.
v. RECOMMENDATIONS
The City Attorney's office 1S presently compillng data from
more than three dozen national, state, county and city
CommiSSIons. This lncludes bylaws, enabllng ordlnances and
resolutions, sample agendas, reports and proJects. It is
respectfully recommended that the Council direct the Clty
Attorney's offIce to select the best features from the data
received and draft an enablIng ordlnance creating a Santa Mon1ca
Commission on the Status of Women.
prepared by: Robert M. Myers, City Attorney
Lyn Beckett CaccIatore, Deputy City Attorney
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