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Council reviews draft amendments to Human Rights Commission ordinance; members urge broader updates and clearer domestic-partnership language
Summary
The City Council reviewed staff’s draft amendments to the Human Rights Commission ordinance, focusing the commission’s role on advocacy and social‑service coordination while removing investigatory duties and recommending clearer domestic‑partnership language.
Deputy City Manager Jeremy Hammond introduced a proposed ordinance to amend Palm Springs Municipal Code chapter 2.45 governing the Human Rights Commission (HRC) during the Feb. 27 meeting.
Hammond said the council previously directed the HRC to stop taking new business and focus on revising its scope. The draft ordinance reflects staff, a council subcommittee and commission input and aims to narrow HRC duties toward human‑rights advocacy and selected social‑services topics while removing roles the commission no longer needs to perform (for example, investigator or mediator functions now covered by state or other agencies). Hammond reported the commission identified four 2025 focus areas: transgender health and wellness, antisemitism, homelessness, and immigration. He said the commission planned outreach presentations from local nonprofits and agencies and wants to update language that addresses domestic‑partnership registration to align with current Secretary of State language.
Councilmembers suggested additional changes and cautioned about rushing a rewrite:
- Councilmember Garner urged staff to examine whether council as a whole should appoint commissioners rather than the mayor/Mayor Pro Tem nomination with council approval. She also asked the city attorney to tighten domestic‑partnership language and preserve historical recognition of the city’s prior leadership on domestic‑partnership registrations. - Councilmember Bernstein suggested the ordinance state the HRC “may” give community service or human-rights awards (procedural rules could remain in the commission’s internal guidelines), and recommended ensuring the HRC’s work aligns with council priorities. - Councilmember Reddy and others urged the draft be shared with the commission promptly; staff said the HRC has a scheduled meeting on March 10 where the commission could consider a revised draft.
Staff also noted technical corrections: language in section 2.45.030 should read that members are nominated by the mayor and mayor pro tem and approved by council (rather than appointed solely by the mayor). Discussion emphasized preserving the city’s historical references to domestic-partnership registrations while modernizing language and keeping award procedures in a rules and guidelines document rather than in ordinance text. No vote was taken on the draft ordinance; staff was directed to produce a revised draft for HRC review prior to formal first reading.
