Reforms to the city of Los Angeles' sexual harassment and discrimination policies in the workplace were approved Wednesday by the City Council.
The 14-0 vote will create a comprehensive Citywide Harassment and Discrimination-Free Workplace Policy that updates, simplifies and consolidates existing harassment, discrimination and other related policies, Councilman Paul Krekorian's office said.
"While the city has long had a strong policy against sexual harassment, this is the first time there has been a comprehensive review of and recommendations on enhancing the city's harassment and discrimination practices with an eye toward making positive change," said Krekorian, who proposed the review of city policies.
He added, "Our actions today ensure that every one of our employees can have confidence that our workplace is free of harassment. Our actions will ensure that all women and men who serve this city will always be respected as professionals and will not be subjected to the kind of intolerable abuses that have been exposed in too many workplaces across the country. Our actions will make crystal clear to all that the city of Los Angeles is committed to ensuring a culture of zero tolerance for abuse, harassment, and discrimination in the workplace."
The extensive policies approved by the council will also establish clear guidelines and mechanisms to streamline the reporting and investigation process, develop more training and develop technology that reduces barriers to reporting complaints, Krekorian's office said.
"We have had decades of inequality in the workplace that we have to undo. We owe it to our employees. Change will not come overnight, but with a little time and effort we can make sure that what changes we made will have a lasting impact," Councilwoman Nury Martinez said.
