Equal Pay Ordinance Proposed in San Diego

City contractors would be required to verify equal pay for their employees working in San Diego under a proposed ordinance announced Friday.

Local San Diego politicians such as Sen. Toni Atkins, Rep. Todd Gloria, and District 1 Councilwoman Barbara Bry attended a press conference to support District 3 Councilman Chris Ward’s new proposed ordinance, which would require any company doing work for the City to provide equal pay for all employees — regardless of their gender or ethnicity.

The ordinance would also require companies to provide verification of equal pay, and would penalize them if they are involved with pay discrimination.

Ward hopes that this new ordinance will help even the playing field here in San Diego.

For this year alone, there is more than $600 million budgeted for city contractors. If the proposed ordinance goes through, contractors would have to prove, as well as provide, equal pay for all employees in similar positions.

According to an analysis conducted by the National Partnership for Women and Families, a woman who works full time in California makes a median salary just over $40,000, compared to the median salary of $50,000 a man makes.

Here in San Diego alone, women who work in San Diego make only $.72 to every dollar earned by a man, according to city leaders.