The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday requested that its staff prepare a report on what it would cost to provide free feminine hygiene products at city-owned facilities.
"It's time to end the stigma around periods and menstrual health that has kept policymakers dragging their feet,'' Blumenfield said. "Providing feminine hygiene products at no cost in city-owned facilities should be just as normal as providing toilet paper or soap.''
Blumenfield said he first brought the proposal to the City Council to reduce the financial burden for women and provide hygiene equity. He said women in the United States face economic disparities and inequities compared to their male counterparts, including the costs associated with basic hygiene such as menstrual care.
Blumenfield cited a report in the pier-reviewed journal Obstetrics and Gynecology from 2019 that found nearly two thirds of low-income women surveyed in a major city could not afford menstrual hygiene products. It stated more than one in five women said they had the problem for an entire year.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget proposal this year calls for a two-year moratorium on taxing menstrual products and diapers.
"Providing feminine hygiene products in city-owned facilities is the next logical step, and I believe it can help a lot of women at minimal cost to the taxpayers,'' Blumenfield said.
The report will be conducted by the city's Department of Recreation and Parks and the Department of General Services and brought back to the City Council.
