Gender Equity Programs with the LA County Women and Girls Initiative (LACWGI)
- sayrsconsulting
- Jun 30, 2024
- 4 min read
By Jacob Evangelista | Edited by Danielle Bissonnette and Hayley Sayrs, MPH
In Los Angeles County and beyond, transformative initiatives such as LACWGI are reshaping health, equality, and justice. The Los Angeles County Safe-Haven Access Program (SHAP) ensures reliable reproductive and sexual health care for all, coordinating services from training to travel support. Simultaneously, the newly formed Sexual Assault Council unites diverse stakeholders to support survivors and advocate for prevention. Globally, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) promotes equal rights, echoed through Gender Impact Assessments (GIA) carried out by local governments and partners. GIA mandates County-wide assessments and equity goals, aiming for completion by 2025 with ongoing training and evaluation. This post explores how these efforts unite to build a more inclusive, supportive Los Angeles County for all, and particularly for women and girls.
1. LA County Safe Haven Access Program (SHAP)
The Los Angeles County Safe-Haven Access Program (SHAP) is a coalition that ensures reliable reproductive and sexual health care for residents and visitors. SHAP maintains a centralized care system and coordinates services from comprehensive training to travel support supports travel. Thousands of women have been served by the program to date, with a measured 10 percent overall increase in clients served, a 178 percent increase in clients from out of state and a 27 percent increase in clients from in-state. In partnership with the Department of Public Health (DPH) – Office of Women’s Health, and key community-based stakeholders, WGI played a leading role in shaping the program and communications countywide. Our role supporting coordination and support services was recognized with a 2023 National Association of Counties Achievement Award.
2. Sexual Assault Council
With $1.7M of NCC funds, Los Angeles County established the first ever County Sexual Assault Council (SAC). SAC unites service providers, law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and community organizations to support sexual violence survivors and advocate for prevention. It focuses on enhancing coordination, education, and policies for a unified response.
3. United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
The Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is an international treaty aimed at eliminating discrimination and ensuring equal rights for women. It requires ratifying countries to enact protective laws and report progress. WGI applies CEDAW by promoting gender equality in its roles as an employer, service provider, and partner.
4. Gender Impact Assessments (GIA)
The GIA, passed on November 15, 2022, requires all County departments to assess diverse needs, set gender equity goals, and report progress annually. Covering over 100,000 employees and ten million residents, this major initiative aims for completion by June 2024, in line with CEDAW. Our implementation received an award from the National Association of Counties.
5. Ending Period Poverty with Feminine Hygiene Products
During implementation from 2018-2025, WGI partnered with the Library to launch a countywide program to provide vital feminine hygiene products and diapers to members of the community at library locations across the County. This program received a top 10 award from the County's Quality and Productivity Commission.
6. Women in Non-Traditional Roles Speaker Series
More than 400 County employees attended our four-part webinar series on how to recruit and retain women in traditionally male-dominated fields. Preliminary analysis from open ended questions indicated that the majority of attendees were women seeking resources to better navigate towards career goals in the County.
7. Women's Fire Alliance and Girls' Fire Camp
WGI has been an active member of the LACoFD Multi-disciplinary Action Team (MAT), a working group of departmental decision-makers focused on strategies to increase gender diversity in the Fire Department's Fire Series. The MAT has tackled key barriers to women's entry and retention, including the lack of well-fitting uniforms and personal protective equipment (PPE), resulting in a 5-signature letter from LA County's all-female Board of Supervisors demanding that manufacturers produce gear designed for female bodies. The stakes are significant: women firefighters face a 33% higher injury risk and greater exposure to cancer-causing carcinogens when equipment doesn't fit properly, a gap the county is actively working to close.
8. Family Friendly Certified + Extending Paid Family Leave Countywide
WGI partnered with DHR to advance family-friendly workplace policies as a core strategy for attracting diverse candidates, hiring women into non-traditional roles, and retaining a more inclusive workforce. A DHR-piloted 8-week paid family leave program for County employees marked a significant step forward, with broader adoption underway — 39 departments and affiliates have now assessed their family-friendly policies and benefits, and 9 currently meet the County's family-friendly criteria. To measure progress and surface remaining gaps, DHR and WGI conducted two employee climate surveys, culminating in the release of the Equity for Women in the Workplace Report — a data-driven accountability tool guiding the County's continued expansion of equitable benefits for all employees.
9. Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)
On November 2, 2021, the Board adopted the motion Advancing Gender Parity as a Legislative Priority in Policing Requirements, incorporating recommendations made by WGI on how to recruit, hire, and retain women to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD). These recommendations resulted in State legislation asking for further analysis of the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) requirements. While this motion ultimately did not pass in the 2022 or 2023 State legislative sessions, it shows that the County once again influences the State in looking at how we staff public safety institutions and that it moves in a direction toward gender inclusivity and positive community engagement from our law enforcement departments.
10. WGI Academic Internship Program - Public Affairs
From 2023-2025, WGI established an academic internship program focused on evaluation and communications in partnership with UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and Sayrs Consulting's Social Startups program.
Learn More About WGI and These Programs Here:
Safe Haven Access Program: https://ceo.lacounty.gov/wgi-our-priorities/
Sexual Assault Council:
CEDAW and Gender Impact Assessments:
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