City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: ACTION ITEMS
Lead Department: City Manager
Meeting Date: March 23, 2026
Report #:2601-5841
TITLE
FIRST READING: Adoption of an Ordinance to Amend Chapter 9.73 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code to Adopt a Local Policy to Implement the Foundational Principles of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as Recommended by the Policy and Services Committee; CEQA status – Not a Project
RECOMMENDATION
Policy and Services Committee recommends that the City Council adopt the attached CEDAW Ordinance.
BACKGROUND
In October 2018, the City Council passed a resolution with intent for the City to pursue an ordinance to endorse the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This discussion first went through the Policy and Services Committee and focused on affirming the City’ s commitment to the principles of the United Nations’ work. The intention was to work within existing budgets and resources and to demonstrate Palo Alto’ s commitment to the principles of CEDAW.
In November 2020, the Policy and Services Committee accepted a status report regarding CEDAW and recommended to City Council that staff proceed with a community summit on gender equality issues. The recommendation also included a request for Human Resources to publish City of Palo Alto workforce gender demographics and to include gender as a part of the City’s work on inclusion and belonging. When this recommendation went to the City Council, the City Council affirmed the recommendation and asked staff to share the findings regarding youth in recreation programs with the City’s Teen Advisory Council for consideration in planning future trainings or mentorship programs. The City Council also recommended that the Office of Human Services host a convening related to greater opportunities for women and girls.
In June 2021, the City hosted the Palo Alto Summit on Women and Girls (with ‘Women’ and ‘girls’ referring to a gender expansive and inclusive definition). The event was keynoted by Lori
Nishiura Mackenzie, Co-Founder of the Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab and the Lead Strategist on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Stanford Graduate School of Business (link to materials and video: http://paloalto.gov/Events-Directory/City-Manager/Summit-on- Women-Girls). This event was held in connection with the City’s continued commitment to advancing a CEDAW ordinance.
In 2024, the City Council affirmed the City’s Equity Action Plan,1 which included advancing a CEDAW ordinance as Action Item 3.4 (Finalize CEDAW Ordinance and Present it to the City Council for Adoption). Attachment A is the follow up to that action plan item as well as to the prior City Council interests shared through resolution.
The City released a Demographics Dashboard as a follow up to prior City Council direction and the Equity Action Plan (Item 2.5). The dashboard can be found online at:
https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Human-Resources/Workforce-Demographic- Dashboard.
Most recently, the Policy and Services Committee discussed the draft ordinance on December 9, 2025. In that discussion, the Committee recommended that the ordinance be a codified ordinance instead of the proposed non-codified ordinance, as well as to make a few other changes to the ordinance. The motion that passed unanimously by the Committee2 was:
To recommend the City Council adoption of the attached CEDAW Ordinance, and that it be codified with the following amendments:
1. In Section (a) Economic Development
1. Add “such as lack of childcare, workplace harassment, and equal pay” after known barriers
2. Add “with vendors and others” after public contracting
2. In Section (d) Community, Library and Transportation Services, add at end of subparagraph 1, “and support survivors of sexual- and gender-based violence"
3. A referral to the HRC for consideration of strategies and policies to implement the City’s CEDAW ordinance, contingent upon Council’s adoption of the ordinance.
ANALYSIS
The motion passed by the Policy and Services Committee incorporates feedback received at the Committee meeting. The Committee noted that adoption of the ordinance is just one important step in memorializing the City’s commitment to the human rights principles outlined in CEDAW. 1 City of Palo Alto Equity Action Plan:
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/citymanager/wellness-and-belonging/equity-workplan- 2024.pdf
2 Policy and Services Committee Action Minutes, December 9, 2025. Link:
https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=83988&dbid=0&repo=PaloAlto&searchid=4cb374a8 -d14e-4483-8a42-1d6dab2d78fc
The ordinance, as amended, ratifies current City practices and establishes guidelines for the continued work of eliminating all forms of discrimination against women within the city.
The ordinance identifies several different areas of city government where the City can have the greatest impact in eliminating discrimination against women and girls. These include economic development (inclusive of childcare and vendors), housing and homelessness, political and civic engagement, climate action and sustainability, community, library, and transportation services (inclusive of support for survivors of sexual- and gender-based violence). The ordinance seeks to accomplish the goals set by the Human Relations Commission and the City Council in recent years to enshrine the principles of CEDAW into local law. The ordinance is modeled after the CEDAW ordinance enacted by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in May of 2023.
However, the City’s ordinance does not include as many categories as the Santa Clara County ordinance,5 as the County has additional significant areas of jurisdiction that are not part of the City’s purview of services, including the criminal justice system and the public health system.
The Committee suggested changes that kept the ordinance within the thematic areas that are most relevant to the City’s work. The ordinance, as a first step, takes into account the limited existing City resources related to this work.
At the Committee discussion there were questions about efforts the City currently has related to anti-harassment. The City has an established policy against discrimination, harassment, and retaliation which is shared with all City employees and City Councilmembers (it was also recently shared with Boards and Commissions members though they are not formally included in the policy). The policy establishes a complaint procedure by which the City will investigate and resolve complaints of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. The policy shares the directive of the City Council that all City employees regardless of rank or title share in the responsibility of ensuring a working environment that is free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. The City encourages all covered individuals to report any conduct that they believe violates this policy as soon as possible. There is a requirement that all City Councilmembers, Board and Commission members, and staff complete regular training on this topic.
The Committee included a recommendation for a referral to the Human Relations Commission (HRC) to do additional work on effectuating this ordinance and provide recommendations back to the City Council and staff relating to further advancing the ordinance. Topics suggested by the Committee for further HRC discussion included: 1) appropriate housing options for unhoused individuals and individuals who experienced sexual- or gender-based violence; and 2) childcare. If this ordinance is adopted by the City Council, staff will coordinate with the HRC to further discuss these topics.
5 See Santa Clara County Ordinance NS-300.972 (2023), codified at County of Santa Clara Ordinance Code Division A18, Chapter VIII. Link:
https://library.municode.com/ca/santa_clara_county/ordinances/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=1216532 Adoption of the ordinance, as recommended by the Committee, would add Palo Alto to a host of other cities and communities that have taken this important first step to support women and girls. Palo Alto would use this ordinance to guide the City’s wellness and belonging efforts, especially as the efforts relate to the topics referenced in the ordinance.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
This ordinance would be implemented within existing budgets and resources.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The previous City Council discussions, Committee discussion, as well as the information shared and gathered at the Summit on Women and Girls have been opportunities to hear from the community about the importance of a CEDAW ordinance for Palo Alto.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Approval of this ordinance is not a project within the meaning of Section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) because it has no potential for resulting in physical change in the environment, either directly or ultimately. In the event that this ordinance is found to be a project under CEQA, it is subject to the CEQA exemption contained in CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty to have no possibility of a significant effect on the environment in that this ordinance simply clarifies existing local regulations.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Draft CEDAW Ordinance as Amended and Recommended by Policy and Services Committee
APPROVED BY:
Ed Shikada, City Manager