Ordinance amending the Administrative Code to establish, and to set rules governing the appointment of the Director and the qualifications and duties of employees of the Office of Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention (Office) as a City department under the direction and oversight of the Human Rights Commission, which Office shall be responsible for: 1) receiving complaints concerning the manner in which any City department has responded or failed to respond to allegations of sexual assault or sexual harassment, and assisting complainants in navigating within City government to resolve those complaints; 2) compelling the attendance of City officers or employees at meetings with complainants; 3) notifying relevant City departments of any failure, in connection with a complaint of sexual assault or sexual harassment, to perform a duty imposed by law, or to perform a promised act, or to respond reasonably to the complainant’s or Office’s requests, or to otherwise fully and conscientiously respond to the complainant’s or the Office’s concerns, and reporting to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors if any City department so notified fails to take timely and adequate corrective action; 4) in certain cases, referring City officers and employees to appropriate disciplinary authorities for possible professional or administrative discipline; 5) requiring City departments to report aggregated or otherwise de-identified information concerning the department’s handling of allegations of sexual assault and harassment; 6) engaging with community members to develop recommendations for improving the City’s efforts to combat sexual assault and harassment, and making related recommendations to City policymakers; 7) making regular reports to the Human Rights Commission; and 8) maintaining the confidentiality of information required by law to be kept confidential, and respecting complainants’ wishes for confidentiality to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Committee

Clerk of the Board

Introduced

May 8, 2018

Passed

September 13, 2018

Enacted

September 13, 2018

Enactment no.

215-18