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Resident urges Palo Alto to finalize CEDAW-based ordinance after years of waiting
Summary
Cheryl Spencer, representing the Palo Alto branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, urged the committee during public comment to move forward on a CEDAW-based ordinance the city was asked to develop in 2018.
During public comment, Cheryl Spencer, a member of the Palo Alto branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, urged the Policy & Services Committee to direct staff to develop an ordinance based on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Spencer said the City Council passed a motion in October 2018 directing staff to develop an ordinance reflecting CEDAW principles and that local advocates, including the branch and the Cities for CEDAW coalition, have been waiting about six-and-a-half years for the city to present such an ordinance. She told the committee the city’s April 2024 equity action plan (prepared by the Ivy planning group) lists as item 3.4 “finalize CEDAW ordinance and present it to the city council for adoption.” Spencer said she provided staff with copies of CEDAW-based ordinances from San Francisco and Berkeley and asked staff to confirm progress and timing.
Her remarks were received as public comment; staff did not provide a timeline in the meeting for when such an ordinance would be drafted or returned to committee.
