LA Mayor Establishes Office Of Racial Equity, Plans To 'Give Preference To Minority-Owned Businesses'

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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - An executive order signed Friday by Mayor Eric Garcetti requires Los Angeles city departments to prepare for the reinstatement of affirmative action in California to give preference to hiring and contracting with "minority-owned businesses and other underrepresented groups."

The city won't be able to implement any changes unless Proposition 209 - which since 1996 has
outlawed government and educational agencies from considering race, gender and other factors when hiring people - is repealed by voters in the fall.

Under Garcetti's order, every department general manager and head of city office will be required to name a racial equity representative who will be tasked with developing and overseeing their respective department's racial equity plan.

Every city employee will be required to attend implicit-bias training, which will be headed by the city's Personnel Department.

Garcetti said he is also pushing for a charter amendment on a future ballot that would allow Los Angeles to implement affirmative action if Prop. 209 is repealed to allow for preferential contracting.

"With this change, if ratified by voters, we will give preference to minority-owned businesses and other underrepresented groups in our city for contracts,'' Garcetti said. ``That will extend the reach of opportunity to all of our communities.''

Departments and city offices will be encouraged to consider additional factors in hiring, like the adversities an applicant has overcome, whether they're a first-generation graduate in their family, neighborhood demographics, leadership potential and other circumstances.