Local CEDAW Advances in Palo Alto

Sometimes it seems like slow going, but cities and towns across the country continue to give momentum to the Cities for CEDAW campaign.  On February 8, the Palo Alto Human Relations Commission voted unanimously to recommend a CEDAW ordinance to the Palo Alto city council.  The Stanford student newspaper, which covered the hearing, reported that members of the Commission expressed some concern about the cost of implementing the ordinance, and seemed doubtful that Stanford would provide any free resources to assist.  Nevertheless, the support for sending the ordinance on to a city council vote was unanimous.  

The proposal for a CEDAW ordinance was previously presented to the Palo Alto City Council in November 2016, which then referred it to the Commission for a recommendation.  In the intervening years since that proposal was first introduced, Santa Clara County, San Jose and Mountain View have joined Berkeley, Los Angeles, and the pioneering San Francisco as CEDAW Cities.  The City Council member who acts as a liaison to the Commission, Cory Wolbach, urged the Commission to take a vote and send the item back to the City Council for consideration.

A City Council vote on the item has not yet been scheduled.  Kudos to the members of the UN Association Mid-Peninsula Chapter who continue to pursue this through the ins and outs of local government!