Fall 2018 Newsletter
In this issue…
Fighting for Equity for Girls in Sports
CWLC Releases Comprehensive Sexual Assault Guide
CWLC Outreach and Trainings
2018 Legislative Summary
Spotlight: CWLC Interns
Title IX Victory: Fighting for Equity for Girls in Sports
For the past year, CWLC has represented female athletes at Sierra Vista High School in Baldwin Park, California, who were subjected to inferior treatment and given fewer opportunities than male athletes at the school. Specifically, girls’ volleyball players were forced to practice in a cramped and unsafe space and the girls’ softball field was poorly maintained, making practice difficult and dangerous.
We are pleased to report that in August, CWLC and our partners at Legal Aid at Work and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, reached an agreement in this Title IX athletics imbalance. Baldwin Park Unified School District agreed to make numerous changes at Sierra Vista including adding more athletic opportunities for girls and providing equitable use of facilities and fields. We applaud the school for working to ensure girls have the same athletic opportunities and benefits boys do, and helping create a level playing field.
Click here to read CWLC’s press release.
CWLC: Helping Women Navigate the Legal Landscape of Sexual Discrimination, Harassment, and Assault
In September, CWLC released “A Guide to Federal and California State Sexual Discrimination, Harassment, and Assault Laws.” This comprehensive Guide identifies, outlines and explains the different legal claims that can be brought for sexual discrimination, harassment, and assault under federal and state law. This Guide was developed for use by both attorneys and non-attorneys which allows readers to review and compare the elements required to establish each type of claim and also lists a variety of case law examples.
To download the Guide, click here. We hope it will be helpful to survivors and their advocates in determining the legal course that works best for them.
Upcoming Training
Please join us on January 30, 2019, for a webinar training titled “Sexual Discrimination, Assault and Harassment: A Primer on Federal and State Law Claims,” from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. We will address federal and state law causes of action for gender discrimination and sexual violence. This webinar qualifies for one hour of Elimination of Bias MCLE credit. Please check our website in the coming weeks for more information and an RSVP link.
Recent CWLC Community Outreach and Trainings
Building the Blue Wave
In September, CWLC’s Executive Director Betsy Butler along with the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s CEO and the Dean of the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA, participated in the panel “Building the Blue Wave.” The discussion was about the state of California and the ways in which both the state and the City of Los Angeles are leading the way fighting for a healthier and more equitable future. The panel was hosted by The Michelangelo Signorile Show on SiriusXM Progress.
Breastfeeding Advocacy Day: “Taking Action to Reduce Infant Feeding Inequities in L.A. County”
In October, CWLC Senior Staff Attorney Amy Poyer presented during the Breastfeeding Advocacy Day where discussions focused on reducing infant feeding inequities that exist in Los Angeles. CWLC is a strong advocate in the fight to end discrimination against pregnant and parenting students and employees. We were happy to provide materials and expertise at this important summit.
Title IX Training Webinar
In October, CWLC and Legal Aid at Work hosted an informational training webinar entitled “Creating A Level Playing Field for Girls: Title IX Athletics in Schools and Beyond.” The attendees learned about Title IX as it applies to athletics in K-12 schools and youth parks and recreation facilities. This webinar also qualified for one hour of MCLE credit. To view the recorded training, click here.
CWLC Attends Veteran Stand Down
CWLC remains committed to those who have served our country. In October, CWLC participated in the 4th Annual VA Greater Los Angeles Veteran Stand Down where we proudly partnered with the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Veterans Legal Service Project by assisting veterans with their criminal records and outstanding tickets and warrants. In November, CWLC participated in Supervisor Janice Hahn’s Veteran’s Resource Day in Los Angeles, California. These events provide veterans with legal assistance, referrals and other services as well as information on benefits, services specifically for female veterans, medical services, housing and more at no cost.
Sexual Discrimination, Assault and Harassment Training
In November, CWLC Senior Staff Attorney Amy Poyer represented CWLC at the Legal Aid Association of California’s annual Traveling Training series in Sacramento, which brings in-person legal trainings to attorneys in rural areas of California. Amy presented a training entitled “Sexual Discrimination, Assault and Harassment: A Primer on Federal and State Law Claims,” which outlined the main federal and state law causes of action for sexual discrimination, harassment, and assault and the differences between them. CWLC was delighted to have the chance to train California’s legal aid attorneys on this important topic.
Handbags of Hope
In partnership with Holy Helping Hands, this year CWLC collected and donated over 200 new and gently used handbags filled with personal care items to support Handbags of Hope, a nationwide effort which collects and distributes handbags to survivors of domestic violence. We thank our Board members and supporters for their amazing generosity. The 2018 Handbags of Hope event collected over 1,100 bags in Los Angeles and thousands more in twenty states across the country.
2018 Legislative Summary
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CWLC is proud to report that in September Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 820, the Stand Together Against Non-Disclosures (STAND) Act. Authored by Senator Connie Leyva (D-Chino) and co-sponsored by CWLC and the Consumer Attorneys of California, this bill bans confidentiality provisions in settlement agreements in cases of sex discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual assault, unless such a provision is specifically requested by the plaintiff. This bill goes into effect in January 2019, giving the victim the power to decide what level of confidentiality they would like, and ensures perpetrators are held accountable. Governor Brown signed eleven other bills CWLC supported during the 2018 legislative session including SB 224 (Jackson) which expands the types of relationships covered in the Unruh Civil Rights Act to include investors, producers and elected officials in cases of sexual harassment; SB 1300 (Jackson) which makes it illegal for an employer to require an employee to sign a release of their rights under the Fair Employment and Housing Act in exchange for a bonus or as a condition of continued employment; AB 2289 (Weber and Gonzalez Fletcher) which will promote gender equity in education by ensuring that pregnant and parenting students in California receive consistent and adequate parental leave; and AB 2413 (Chiu) which allows every Californian to ask for assistance without fear of eviction by expanding the list of protected tenants to include victims of crime and individuals experiencing an emergency, and also allows survivors of violence the option to provide documentation from a trusted and qualified third party rather than only a police report or order of protection. CWLC was an advocate for bills addressing gender discrimination in the workplace and on campus, as well as sexual assault and harassment, health care, mental health, foster youth, reproductive rights, equal pay, housing, and more. We are disappointed that several bills furthering the rights of women and girls were vetoed by the Governor, however we remain committed to the fight for full equality for women and girls in California. To view the legislation CWLC supported and opposed in the 2018 session, click here. |
CWLC Executive Director is the new Chair of CCOA
CWLC Executive Director Betsy Butler was elected Chair of the California Commission on Aging in November 2018. The California Commission on Aging serves as the state’s principal advocate for older adults and whose primary purpose is to advance issues that are fundamental to ensuring healthy, purposeful and dignified longevity for all Californians.
Established in 1973 by a California government mandate and confirmed in the Older Californians Act, the Commission advises the state’s Governor and Legislature, as well as federal, state and local agencies, on programs and services affecting older adults. Additionally, the Commission works closely with public, nonprofit and private-sector institutions to address emerging challenges and opportunities.
CWLC Alumni Spotlight
Over the years, CWLC is proud to have attracted many inspiring and dedicated interns to assist our work benefiting women and girls. We maintain relationships with most of these legal scholars and are delighted to highlight three of them.
Antonia Hyman (Columbia Law School, Spring 2016 CWLC Intern)
Antonia interned with CWLC in the Spring of 2016 with a cohort of volunteers from Columbia Law School. Antonia graduated with a JD/MBA this year and has worked with the Corrections Accountability Project, an organization dedicated to eliminating the influence of commercial interests on our criminal legal system, and at an investment firm dedicated to investing in the businesses of women of color. Antonia is currently a corporate associate in New York at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
Kylie Reynolds (UCLA School of Law, 2015 CWLC Development Associate)
Kylie was CWLC’s Development Associate before attending UCLA School of Law in 2015. During law school, Kylie was involved in the Supreme Court Clinic where she helped draft a writ of certiorari that is currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court (Turner v. United States) and was a senior editor on the UCLA Law Review. Kylie graduated with a JD in May and is working as a law clerk at the Post Conviction Assistance Center in Los Angeles where she is focusing on a range of issues including petitions for resentencing under Proposition 36 and 27, collecting mitigation evidence for juveniles sentenced to life without parole (prior to Miller v. Alabama), and petitions for DNA testing.
Callie Wilson (Yale Law School, Summer 2016 CWLC Intern)
Callie was an intern with CWLC during the summer of 2016. A tremendous CWLC team member, she assisted our work on a number of issues including abortion rights, Title IX, and a military sexual trauma matter. Callie graduated from Yale Law School this year and was selected for a prestigious Public Rights Project & Justice Catalyst Fellowship with the Oakland City Attorney’s Office where she is focusing on gender equity work.
CWLC interns work directly with our staff attorneys in conducting research and doing case work. If you know law school students who might be interested in an internship at CWLC, please visit our website by clicking here or send your cover letter and resume to cwlc@cwlc.org and use “LEGAL INTERN APPLICATION” in the subject line.
Thank you Antonia, Kylie and Callie for your commitment to justice and your interest in assisting the most vulnerable among us!