The Policy & Services Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council adopt a local ordinance implementing principles from the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), directing staff to codify the ordinance and refer implementation planning to the Human Relations Commission.

Deputy City Manager Chantelle Cotton Gaines presented the three-page draft ordinance as a foundational set of principles that the city can act on within its jurisdiction. She said the draft focuses on areas where the city has authority, including economic development, housing and homelessness, civic engagement, library and transportation access, and climate and sustainability. "Our interest was to make sure that these are items that the city actually has some sort of jurisdiction over," she said.

Public commenters — including Steven Lee, Cheryl Spencer, Roberta Alquist, Michelle Dawber, and Rebecca E — generally supported the ordinance but called for stronger and more specific provisions. Cheryl Spencer emphasized codification and said Palo Alto's draft is shorter than the Santa Clara County ordinance: "Our ordinance is a little, you know, wishy washy," she said, urging that the city codify the measure so it is findable and enduring. Roberta Alquist asked for added protections such as equal remuneration, workplace safety and vendor oversight.

Professor Michelle Dawber urged passage but called the draft "really, really weak tea," noting it omits monitoring, workplace harassment protections, and attention to survivors' treatment in the criminal system. Several speakers urged the inclusion of childcare and vendor practices tied to public contracting as concrete examples of barriers the city can address.

City Attorney Stumpf and staff explained constraints: some policy areas (criminal justice, public health) fall under county jurisdiction and state and federal law limit certain local requirements. Stumpf told the committee legal preemption and existing obligations will shape what the city can mandate. Staff underscored resource and monitoring considerations and recommended the committee provide clear direction for HRC if referred.

The committee debated codification (placing the ordinance into the municipal code so it is searchable), specific language edits (adding childcare as an example of a known barrier, and including "vendors and others" in public contracting language), and a referral to the Human Relations Commission to develop short-, medium- and long-term implementation options. Chair Venker said she would draft suggested amendments and asked the clerk to display them; the committee negotiated placing housing specifics in the HRC referral rather than the ordinance itself to avoid over-prescription.

The clerk called the roll on the recommendation to forward the ordinance to the council with codification and referral to HRC; Chair Venker, Council member Stone, and Council member Liu voted yes and the motion carried unanimously.

What happens next: The committee forwarded the codified ordinance and staff-suggested amendments to City Council for consideration and asked HRC to return with implementation strategies, including priorities and potential resource implications.