Six cities join more than 100 existing signatories
First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom announced recently that Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Long Beach, and Fresno have signed the California Equal Pay Pledge, joining over 100 existing pledge signatories.
“It will continue to take public and private partnerships like our California Equal Pay Pledge to close the gender pay gap in California. Pay inequity stems from a patriarchal system that was not built with gender equity in mind, but instead built to keep money and power in the hands of few men in control,” said Newsom.
“Given our history as a nation, closing the pay gap for mothers and women of color may seem like a daunting goal, but in California, we are up to the challenge,” she added. “I am grateful to the over 100 companies as well as the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Fresno, Long Beach, and San Diego for standing with us and sending a clear message to their employees, customers, and constituents that women are valued and that women’s labor is as valuable as men’s.”
“Lifting as we climb is one of the most important things we can do as leaders, which is why being an active participant in the fight for pay equity is so important,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “I’m proud to sign this pledge and I thank First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom for leading this crucial initiative.”
“Closing the gender wage gap is not just something California can do, it’s something we must do,” said Kimberly Ellis, director of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women. “From building credit to building wealth, we know that the wage gap has greatly hindered progress toward actualizing women’s equality. The City and County of San Francisco is proud to support the First Partner’s initiative and look forward to doing our part to making pay equity a reality for all women in the Golden State.”
“Despite the incredible progress women have made, the gender pay gap in the United States has held stable for nearly 20 years,” said California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls Executive Director Holly Martinez. “This is an unacceptable stagnation reflecting, in part, that women continue to be clustered in lower-paying occupations relative to their share of the workforce but also persistent discrimination not explained by any other measurable factor. The reliance on women during the pandemic as essential workers, caregivers, and parents made clear that women are essential to our economy and key workforce participants. It’s time to finally close the wage gap.”
Companies who sign the Equal Pay Pledge have committed to conducting annual company-wide gender pay analysis, reviewing their hiring and promotion processes and procedures to reduce unconscious bias and structural barriers, and promoting best practices to help close the pay gap and ensure fundamental equity for all workers.
To date, 111 companies have signed the California Equal Pay Pledge, including the State of California, Adobe, GoFundMe, and Apple. California has some of the strongest equal pay laws in the country, but women in the state still earn 88 cents for every dollar a man earns. Nationally, women earn on average 77 cents for every dollar a man earns, and those numbers plummet to 64 cents for Black women, 54 cents for Latina women, and 51 cents for Native American women, and 62 cents for mothers.
