LA, Long Beach sign pledge supporting equal pay for women

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles and Long Beach were among the first group of California cities to sign a pledge supporting equal pay for women, first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom announced Tuesday.

The California Equal Pay Pledge has also been signed by 111 companies thus far.

"It will continue to take public and private partnerships like our California Equal Pay Pledge to close the gender pay gap in California. Pay inequity stems from a patriarchal system that was not built with gender equity in mind, but instead built to keep money and power in the hands of few men in control," Siebel Newsom said.

"Given our history as a nation, closing the pay gap for mothers and women of color may seem like a daunting goal, but in California, we are up to the challenge. I am grateful to the over 100 companies as well as the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Fresno, Long Beach and San Diego for standing with us and sending a clear message to their employees, customers, and constituents that women are valued and that women's labor is as valuable as men's," she added.

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Companies that sign the pledge commit to conducting annual company-wide gender pay analyses, reviewing their hiring and promotion processes and procedures to reduce unconscious bias and structural barriers, and promoting best practices to help close the pay gap and ensure fundamental equity for all workers, according to a statement from the governor's office.

"Lifting as we climb is one of the most important things we can do as leaders, which is why being an active participant in the fight for pay equity is so important," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. "I'm proud to sign this pledge and I thank first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom for leading this crucial initiative."

Los Angeles and Long Beach joined Oakland, San Francisco, San Diego and Fresno in signing the pledge.

"We are proud to stand with first partner Siebel Newsom and take the California Equal Pay Pledge," Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said. "By ensuring that women in government and across every sector are paid fairly for doing the same work, we can eliminate the gender pay gap and meaningfully expand economic opportunity for working women and their families throughout California."

The pledge was launched by Siebel Newsom in 2019.