Recommendation to direct City Manager to report back in 90 days with a plan to create a Commission on Women and Girls in the City of Long Beach, as recommended by the Long Beach Human Relations Commission.
Councilwoman Mongo. Motion is carried. Thank you. Item 21, please. Communication from Councilwoman Allen councilwoman than to has Councilwoman Price councilman serve recommendation to direct city manager to report back in 90 days with a plan to create a commission on women and girls in the city of Long Beach, as recommended by the Long Beach Human Relations Commission. Councilwoman Allen. I. Yes, I thank you very much. Let me just start by saying I I'm just, I'm just so honored that, uh, that we're actually here. Item 21 Commission on Women and Girls and 1975, a Long Beach City Councilwoman Renee Simon introduced the idea of a woman's council. A woman's commission? And 46 years ago she could not get a second, one male council member remarked. If this passes, I move to establish a men's commission. We have come a long way since then, but our journey is nowhere done. The era had yet. Ta ta ta path. And. And so what I like to do is like, if I can go ahead and I'll complete my comments, if I can go and go to public comments and then then I'm going to come back and complete my comment. Okay. Sounds good to me. As you remember members of the public for public comment voting Mickelson Barbour sitting up and Janet Foster. I have to say I'm ready. And I, too, have been given an extra minute because I'm speaking on behalf of the Human Relations Commission, and I brought a letter of recommendation that they have presented to you and are being distributed now. My name is Zoe Nicholson. I live in Rose. Park and I'm a proud commissioner on the Human Relations Commission. And this is my way. First of all, I thank the women and girls of Long Beach. I thank the men of Long Beach. I thank the vice mayor. I thank the five majority women who sit on this council. I'm so happy to see you. And I thank the gentleman here. I know some of you, and it's been a pleasure. I'm going to skip two for the sake of time. The part of this letter that I wrote. I think it's we have the other letter and, you know, you can read it at your leisure. At Long Beach Commission for women and girls working, intersectional and inclusive, they would provide equality and justice for women and girls, cis, trans and those who identify as female. Focusing on economic equity, educational equity, access to health care, including reproductive choice, violence against women, and other key issues identified by the commission as significantly affecting women and girls . The California State Commission has recognized the. Overwhelming. Circumstances that women face and the extraordinary compounding demands brought about by COVID 19. They have asked California to go city by city. And join Berkeley, Carson, Compton, Glendale, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Santa monica and West Hollywood in establishing a commission for women and girls. The city of Long Beach is one. Of the primary leaders. In California and setting a standard for inclusion, diversity, equity, respect and full inclusivity. There is an abundance of expertize of women and girls in Long Beach. And as such. Appointing women. From each of your districts. Will assure a city of brilliant commissioners working for. Women. And girls, uplifting the lives of women and girls actually uplifts the lives of everyone. The Long Beach Human Relations Commission is. Presenting this letter. Of recommendation to the city council, to the mayor, with the theory they will follow with a series of listening sessions with women and girls in this city to gain additional feedback on what their needs are that the Commission could address. And as I have to say, my councilwoman, Cindy Allen, who's been a real champion of this and I'm so grateful, had sort of stolen my thunder. But it's rather interesting, if you can only imagine. Renee Simon coming up to the city, up to the dais here. In 1975, she had just come back from the International Women's Convention and she was on fire about the advancement of women and girls. And she brought it to the floor. She could not get a second. But tonight, I know we're going to get a second and we're going to get a unanimous vote and we're going to begin the process of establishing a commission to advance a life for women and girls. And it's a really proud, emotional moment. And thank you very much. And by the way, thank you for my vaccine. I'm so very grateful that the. City took. Care of all of. Us. Thank you so much. Next, we have barber shop. Good evening, Vice Mayor Richardson and members of the council. I'm Barbara Shippen, and I'm the president of the National Council of Jewish Women of Greater Long Beach in West Orange County. It's kind of interesting to have this item follows the last item in which we are celebrating diversity and moving things forward in the city. And it was really shocking for me to hear that this item had been. Dragon in some ways in the city for so many years. So I'm very excited to be here this evening. I've had the opportunity to participate in the establishment of a commission in another jurisdiction, and I can testify that it really adds value to the work of government staff as they have more voices and more opportunity to hear and see what is going on in the community. And it also provides a safe environment for women to come forward to talk about some things. Councilman Richardson, we talked about the sex trafficking issues in the city that National Council also involved with. So there needs to be a commission that can focus on the needs and the wants and desires and the opportunities for women and children within the city. National Council was founded over 100 years ago specifically to work to better the lives of women, children and families. And along the section has just celebrated our 75th anniversary. So we have been working on these issues for many years. And I'm very proud and very excited to be before you this evening to support this. I would only say that I'm hoping that perhaps the report could come back before 90 days so we can establish the commission in this year and not have another year go forward to start before we have a commission. So thank you very much and I look forward to a success as we join together through this effort. Thank you. And fantastic. Thank you. Next is Janet Foster. Hello, everyone. Thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts. Also to Cindy Allen. Thank you so much. I'm a resident of District two and I really appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into this. I like to add to what the previous speaker shared with you. I'd also like to have a consideration of intersectionality and within any discussion of women and girls here in Long Beach as it relates to background, economics also have a focus on, of course, racial and ethnic intersectionality because I think that's important as well. And and I agree that 90 days may be a little long. If it can be done sooner, that would be appropriate. And certainly I really appreciate this opportunity to voice support. And thank you very much. Fantastic. Thank you. That concludes public comment. We'll take it back behind the rail. Councilwoman Allen. All right. Thank you so much to the speakers. And my goodness, this item is long overdue. What is it? 46 years is a long time to wait. And I just want to thank my colleagues, Councilwoman Farrow, Councilwoman Van de Haas and Councilman Price for their support and also to Councilman Mongo. One drawback of having a majority of women in council is and not everyone can sign onto items together, but representation matters. And it's our duty to uplift women and our community. And I'm just so honored to serve on this diocese with all of these. Women. I also want to thank a Human Relations Commission here, Members Chair Terris and Vice Chair Erickson and of course you, Zoe, for being the front of this and for your years of service and and work. And I don't know if you know this, but you when I got elected, you were one of my first calls. And so it was just it was just really it was really moving for me. So I just want to thank you personally for all that you have done for coming out tonight. It's to wonderful to see you and I just to hear your comments and think that, you know, we absolutely need to improve the lives of women and children in this city. I heard this said in one of the meetings and someone said this and I don't know who, but they said, you know, women represent 50% of the population in the city, which means that they also represent 50% of our of our potential. So when women thrive, all of us thrive and prosper. And it's just time for a commission on women and girls. Women still face persistent barriers to accessing economic security, salary, lack of funding, forgiveness waived a wage gap, not to mention the issues with physical and mental health care. The COVID 19 health and economic crisis has only worsened the inequalities, endangering the progress of many women who. I've been able to achieve who haven't been able to achieve workplace homes and communities. And childcare access is also needed now more than ever. And I know that my colleagues have heard me talk about that quite a bit, especially during COVID. Women's well-being should be viewed as distinct yet interrelated. The topics of health. Personal safety. Domestic violence. Employment and earnings. Economic security. And political empowerment. I would like to see opportunities for this Commission to collaborate with other advisory commissions to uplift recommendations for City Council, where issues facing women and girls also intersect with other with other area. According to reports produced by the city's Office of Equity. Among full time workers in Long Beach, white men earn nearly two times as much as Latina women. 63% of black woman heads of household are considered rent burdened, compared to 52% of white women heads of household. Based on these factors, this commission must also intersect with a framework for reconciliation and racial equity to ensure a strong gender and racial equity lens. Also, I'd also like to kindly request that staff look at how these commissions have been established in other jurisdictions, including in legislation that defines the role of the Commission, staffing to implement projects, activities, initiatives of the Commission and how commissions are resourced and funded. I also like to look into the partnership with the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. I recently saw that the state budget includes a one time funding of $7.9 million, 5 million of which will be utilized to facilitate a statewide woman's recovery response in the wake of COVID 19. So can we also look and see about this funding and see if that could be used for any efforts that we're doing with this commission or any future efforts? So I look forward to seeing this plan come back. I agree I agree with with any of the speakers that there is an opportunity to get this quicker than 90 days. That would be very welcomed if that's possible. But again, I just want to thank all the advocates. Thank you, though. I think everyone that came up to speak for the creation of a commission on women and girls. It's about time. Thank you. Thank you. Councilwoman Pryce. Thank you. And thank you to the speakers and to Councilwoman Allen for bringing this item forward. I'm so pleased to see this item coming before the full city council. It's been a long time coming, and as we work to ensure gender parity here in Long Beach and provide for the future of women and girls, it's very important that we continue to highlight these issues through our volunteer commissions, nonprofit organizations and as a council body. Over five years ago, in March of 2016, I, along with my fellow female council members at the time there were four of us brought an item asking the city manager to identify a commission to partner with with California State University Long Beach to complete a gender analysis study of Long Beach after the gender analysis study is completed. The selected City Commission was to examine policy reforms as outlined by the study and consistent with the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women known as CEDAW. At the time, it was deemed to not be feasible for the city council or for the city to participate in such a partnership. But today we have seen the influence of women grow here in Long Beach to become a majority on the city council and even broke the 50% mark on our city commissions a few years ago for the first time. So it is my hope not only that this commission is formed, but that once the commission is formed, we take the next step to become a sea city. I think, Councilwoman Allen, for bringing this forward, and I look forward to becoming a see the city through the partnership with this council. This commission. Thank you. Thank you. Councilwoman than they have. In his so months. Councilwoman Allen Price Sorrell and mango for first of all your leadership and for for just being as excited and as I am for this possibility of this commission. Thank you to the Human Relations Commission. I'm so excited for this recommendation to Zoe, who has been our champion and and just everybody who has participated and made this known that we need Women's and Girls Commission. I think that this commission will do amazing things, and I think it will be tremendous support and inspiration to all women and young girls throughout our city. It is particularly particularly symbolic to support such an item that did not get received a lot of support almost 50 years ago. How great is that to be up here and be able to vote on on this item and make sure that like some like that audience member said, you know, make sure that we get a second , but not only a second. Also get a unanimous vote. That will be amazing. I fully am in support of this of this item, and I look forward to what it will bring to our city. Thank you, Councilwoman Mongo. Thank you. I think the pandemic has also brought a lot of light on to the impact that policies have on women specifically. And I think that there's a lot of data to support that. And the pandemic. Really showed how some roles in our families have have really reverted back in times of crisis and need. And so having a group of women here to advocate for our health and our economics and all of the things that are necessary to still be an equal partner at the table in moving our city forward is a critical role. Very fortunate. I work for the County of Los Angeles, so very early on I've been enrolled in the updates from their Commission on Women and Girls. And while I recognize that commissions are very lean in the county, in the city, and then we don't have the staff support that are necessary, if you do get to a point where you do a report out whether it's short or long, I know that every single one of us females here at the Dyas and many of our male colleagues have newsletters and we'd love to include those updates as a tool for you to reach the many, many women that subscribe to our newsletters. And I'd love to hear from you. As a comment on coming back within 90 days, you should know that you will. The fiscal year for the city of Long Beach is about to close in 23 days. So if it does come back in 90 days, you will be a part of this upcoming year, which I think will be a huge success. And so I think the difference between 80 days and 90 days or 100 days, it's all it's all going to get you into the process of next year's commissions. And so I look forward to that. Thank you for being here. Of course, we would have loved to have done it earlier, but with all things come, good timing. And with that timing comes great momentum. And I think the momentum is here for you to be the most impactful that you could have ever been, at least during my time in the city. Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman Farrow. Thank you. I want to thank Councilwoman Allen on her for her leadership on this item, as well as my councilwoman colleagues who have spoken out. Really just want to add on to other comments about how important it is to have this commission. Because, you know, we saw a public speaker earlier saying, you know, my body, my choice and pro-choice. For a minute I thought it was a pro abortion group. But you know, that that brings to mind just the fight that needs to continue around reproductive justice. I think that, you know, I started my work with my girls in action where it was a lot about doing such sex education on top of what was a hot pot or not taught at school to then fighting for their right as minors to be able to determine what they do with their body. And I think that that continues to be a fight that we need to stand in solidarity with what's happening in Texas, but also just how we need to continue to continue this fight here in Long Beach, as well as overall California. As much as we might think that we are progressive or safe, we can't kind of stand by and think that we are because we have the next generation to empower and educate and support. And I think that the state is this commission will help us do that is not just for women who are in the career field , too, but also the next generation learning the juggle between whether or not they decide to become a mother, but also having a career and having the support through the childcare and any other issues that your face when you grow older, right? So with that, I support this item and for my colleague and stand in solidarity with them. Thank you. Thank you. Council member Urunga. Thank you. And I want to thank my majority caucus on the days. As a member of the minority caucus of Days, I want to add my voice in support of this item. I think it's more important that we work together. Nothing that is ever done on the city council is not without the support of. The women and men that comprise the city council in moving our city forward. And that's important as well as in the community. I think it was stated that there were 5050 in the city of Long Beach and what a great way to celebrate that. And by creating a women and girls commission to address all the necessary issues that need to be addressed. You know where that with the 21st century. And we're still dealing with. Disparity among men and women. We shouldn't be. We shouldn't be doing that right now. So I look forward to the development of this commission. And I have you have my 100%, 110%. Support on this committee that. Thank you. Councilman Cooper now. Thank you. I'm very proud to support this item tonight. And thank you to the makers of the motion for bringing it forward. I want to hit this 90 day issue again and I'll approach it from a different perspective. I think Zoe Nicholson demonstrated extreme patience with her August 26th celebration. It was postponed for a year. I think this body needs to do everything in our power to fast track this and whatever we can do. City Manager, please let us know. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Austin. Thank you. I join in the chorus of support of this item. Again, thank you, Councilmember Allen, for bringing it forward. And I appreciate all of the the hard work, the advocacy that's gone into getting us to this point. As I mentioned in the last item, this is a this is a gut check. This is a values vote that we'll take here this evening. We are city council that prides itself on diversity. We're city council that provides ourself pride ourselves on equity. And this is a step closer to being a more equitable city. And I can just I know there's a laundry list of issues for this commission to really work on that will will vex the city council to to. To make changes in pay equity is one of them. You know, we want to make sure that pay equity and and and so many other areas that that have been traditionally . That aside, get up with it to front. And so I'm happy to support this. Thank you. I'll offer my comments here first to thank you to my council colleagues for for bringing this forward. I think it is absolutely critical for the future of our city. I personally feel that it is long overdue. You know, the role of cities is changing and has been changing. And when you see that, you know, like my colleague mentioned, the disparities exposed by COVID 19, the recent Supreme Court decision on reproductive rights in Texas, it's very it's a it's a very real issue. And we need to make sure that we change our organization and commit to systems thinking the steps you've seen in recent years, establishing enough equity, establishing an equity commission, establishing a women's commission. Those are system changes. You change the organization and build capacity for the organization, make better decisions, more reflective of the population. That's what this is today. So our city will become better. Our decision making will become better because we change our organization to be reflective of the interests and the needs of today and for the future. And so I certainly want to thank you all of the leadership, though. I saw you just recently. We talked we talked about this. Yes. You will get a second. Yes, you will get a unanimous vote. We're excited to certainly support this. And again, thank you to my colleagues for for moving this forward. Thank you to the the new equity commission for their recommendation and the chair for this for this letter of support. And I think this is a great step in the right direction. I look forward to unanimous vote. Thank you. Our members, please cast your vote. Motion is carried. Congratulations. Thank you. All right. Now we're going to go to item number 15.