California Advances Commitment to Pay Equity and Supporting Women

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Sept. 27 met with leaders from the Legislative Women’s Caucus to highlight a package of priority legislation signed by the Governor to strengthen California’s commitment to advancing gender equity and protecting the rights of women.

The measures signed by the Governor include SB 1162 by Senator Monique Limόn (D-Santa Barbara), which requires employers to make salary ranges for positions available to applicants and employees and expands pay data reporting requirements to better identify gender and race-based pay disparities.

Gov. Newsom noted California has the strongest equal pay laws in the nation, but the state is not letting up on the work to ensure all women in California are paid their due and treated equally in all spheres of life.

Advancing pay equity and combating gender-based price discrimination

SB 1162 requires employers to make pay scale information available to employees and included in job postings. Building on a measure the Governor signed in 2020 to identify patterns of wage disparities through mandated statewide pay data reporting, SB 1162 expands state pay data reporting requirements, which include employee sex, race and ethnicity information, to cover contracted employees.

Gov. Newsom also signed AB 1287 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) which eliminates the discriminatory “pink tax” by prohibiting different prices for goods based purely on what gender they are marketed to. AB 1287 allows for price differences when there is a significant difference in the cost or time to produce a particular good.

Supporting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault

In addition, Gov. Newsom signed AB 1467 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), which supports survivors by requiring sexual assault and domestic violence counselors at public colleges to be independent from the Title IX office and prohibits these counselors from releasing the identity of a victim without permission.

AB 2185 by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) provides domestic violence victims access to free medical evidentiary exams by Local Sexual Assault Response Teams or other qualified medical evidentiary examiners.

SB 1017 by Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) increases eviction protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other serious crimes.

A full list of bills the Governor announced signing can be found below:

• AB 1287 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) – Price discrimination: gender.
• AB 1467 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) – Student safety: sexual assault and domestic violence procedures and protocols: sexual assault and domestic violence counselors.
• AB 2185 by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) – Forensic examinations: domestic violence.
• SB 1017 by Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) – Leases: termination of tenancy: abuse or violence.
• SB 1162 by Senator Monique Limόn (D-Santa Barbara) – Employment: Salaries and Wages.