The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 on Tuesday, Aug. 11, to order a feasibility study for a new Office of Gender Equity, with Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Bel Air and Holmby Hills, absent from the vote.

Barger's absence meant the two neighborhoods had no representative weighing in on the gender equity study, a jail closure planning directive, or a $100 million affordable housing bond approval that all passed the same day.

The gender equity motion, introduced by Third District Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, directs the county's Chief Executive Office and Department of Public Health to deliver a report within 60 days on where the office would sit within county government, what existing programs could support it, and a timeline for its creation. The motion is rooted in CEDAW principles, the United Nations framework LA County adopted by ordinance in November 2021.

"I'm just asking that we pause, understand what's happening, identify the gaps that would help clarify for us what work needs to be done to determine if an office should be established and also to figure out where the resources would be coming from," Supervisor Holly Mitchell said during the meeting, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Mitchell's amendment, accepted before the vote, requires the study to confirm the new office would not duplicate work already done by other county entities.

The motion follows the sunsetting of the county's Women and Girls Initiative on June 30, 2024. That program had operated since December 2016 as a temporary effort to identify systemic gender inequities.

No reason was given for Barger's absence.

Jail closure and housing bond

The Board also approved a motion by Mitchell, according to the meeting agenda, directing the county CEO through the Jail Closure Implementation Team to ensure future Men's Central Jail closure planning draws on experts from the departments of Mental Health, Health Services, Public Health and the Justice, Care and Opportunities Department, along with community stakeholders. The CEO must report back on progress as part of scheduled Board presentations.

Separately, supervisors adopted a resolution approving up to $100 million in tax-exempt bonds to be issued by the Los Angeles Affordable Housing Solutions Consortium to finance multifamily rental housing projects in the county. The agenda does not specify which projects would be financed or whether any are located in District 5.

The Board's next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18. Residents can access meeting documents at bos.lacounty.gov or call the public comment line at (213) 974-1426.