The City of Los Angeles could soon have an 18-week fully paid parental leave policy through a proposed motion introduced during the city council’s meeting on Tuesday, January 29.
The plan — introduced by City Council members Nury Martinez (CD6) and David Ryu (CD4) — would allow new parents to be on leave for up to 18 weeks and not experience a reduction in pay.
It requests the city attorney to explore a paid parental leave ordinance that would require employers in LA to make up the difference between paid parental leave benefits and the employee’s weekly wages for up to 18 weeks.
The motion also calls for recommendations on how the city could implement the policy as well as for a study on how it would affect small businesses and non-profit organizations.
“For too many Los Angeles families, raising a child and paying the bills is becoming an impossible choice,” Ryu said in a statement. “Families should not have to choose between parenting and a paycheck.”
Currently California’s Paid Family Leave provides approximately 60 to 70 percent of prior pay up to six weeks to spend with a newborn, adopted or foster child.
About 18.7 million state workers are covered under the program, which is funded through mandatory employee payroll deductions.
Martinez said that introducing this motion is a way for labor laws “to reflect a 21st-century economy and that means making our City more friendly for working parents.”
“By providing full paid parental leave, we will empower LA’s hard-working mothers and fathers with the tools to be the outstanding parents they are, without fear of losing their paychecks,” the councilwoman said on Tuesday.
Mayor Eric Garcetti applauded Martinez and Ryu for proposing the motion.
“Nearly every other country in the developed world guarantees paid family leave. If Washington refuses to step up for children and parents, cities like Los Angeles will — because we know this is an essential investment in healthy families and a strong economy,” Garcetti said in a statement.
