West Hollywood City Council Approves Resolution In Support Of The Certification Of The State Of Virginia’s Ratification

Press release from the City of West Hollywood:

January 25, 2021

The City Council of the City of West Hollywood, at its regular meeting on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, unanimously passed a Resolution in support of the certification of the State of Virginia’s ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The Resolution requests that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris direct the National Archivist to certify the ratification.

The ERA is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to provide for the legal equality of the sexes and prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. First proposed by The National Woman’s Party (NWP) in 1923 under the leadership of feminist Alice Paul, it took more than four decades for the ERA to be introduced to Congress under the leadership of U.S. Representative Bella Abzug of New York and feminists Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. It won the requisite two-thirds vote from the U.S. House of Representatives in October 1971 and it was approved by the U.S. Senate in March 1972 and sent to the states for ratification. California was one of 35 states to ratify, but the ERA did not meet the threshold by its deadline. Ratification was needed in 38 states by 1979. The deadline was extended to 1982, but the effort remained short by three states.

In 2017, Nevada became the first state to ratify the ERA after the expiration of both deadlines and Illinois followed in 2018. In January 2020, Virginia’s General Assembly passed a ratification resolution for the ERA, making Virginia the 38th state to approve the Equal Rights Amendment. Experts and advocates acknowledge legal uncertainty about the consequences of the Virginia ratification since a deadline of three-quarters, or 38, of the 50 states to approve the ERA has expired.

“After nearly a century in the making, I’m standing with women and feminist allies throughout the nation to declare: this is the year for the Equal Rights Amendment to become constitutionalized,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath. “Virginia’s ratification of the ERA has, thus far, served as a symbolic victory. Now, it’s time to bring this over the finish line. The former presidential administration blocked the National Archivist from certifying the ERA and the former Attorney General argued against the ratifications of Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia. I, along with tens of millions of women, feel a personal connection to the ratification of the ERA. I was born on the unjust deadline for ratification of the ERA in 1982 — but I believe there should be no expiration on full equality under the law. The ERA will ensure that our Constitution recognizes the equal rights of all people, regardless of sex. It’s a new day. Generations of American women have been waiting for this moment. The City of West Hollywood urges the Biden-Harris Administration to direct the National Archivist to certify the Virginia ratification. I look forward to the day we can say the ERA is now the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing equal rights to women.”

“The Equal Rights Amendment is no longer just an idea it is actual reality,” said Councilmember John M. Erickson. “We must all work together and urge the President, Archivist, and Congress to ensure that: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. Now is the time, with our first female, African American, and South Asian Vice President, let’s continue to break the glass ceiling and finally enshrine equality into the United States Constitution.”

The City of West Hollywood has a long history of being an advocate for women’s rights and equality for all women, and supports women’s rights and policies that positively impact the fundamental rights of women. The City created its Women’s Advisory Board in 1992 to address matters relating to advocacy on behalf of women’s rights such as economic equality, reproductive rights, violence against women and sexual harassment, and the Board makes recommendations to the City Council relative to the adoption of programs, policies, or ordinances of benefit to the constituency.

For more information, please contact Andi Lovano, City of West Hollywood Community & Legislative Affairs Supervisor, at (323) 848-6333 or at alovano@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

The City of West Hollywood has declared a local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Individuals are advised, at this time, to stay at home as much as possible and limit close interactions to those in your household. When in public for essential needs, community members should maintain your space with social (physical) distancing of at least six feet, and cover your face. Public Health officials recommend that everyone continue to follow physical distancing and infection control directives and wear a clean face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when in in public. Additionally, people 65 years old or older and all people of any age with underlying health conditions should remain at home whenever possible; people in these categories should only leave their residences to seek medical care, exercise, or obtain food or other necessities.

West Hollywood City Hall is currently closed to the public and has suspended all in-person transactions. Most public City buildings and facilities remain closed. City Hall remains accessible for business and essential services with transactions to be conducted by phone (323) 848-6400 and via the City’s website at www.weho.org.

City of West Hollywood coronavirus updates are available at www.weho.org/coronavirus and the City encourages community members to follow @wehocity on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and turn on notifications. For up-to-date news and events, follow the City of West Hollywood on social media, sign up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. Business community members may subscribe to the City of West Hollywood’s COVID-19 Business & Workforce weekly email newsletter by clicking here.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.

This press release was produced by the City of West Hollywood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.