County Orders Draft Law on AIDS Discrimination

Over the objections of Supervisors Pete Schabarum and Mike Antonovich, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday ordered the county counsel to draft an ordinance banning discrimination against victims of AIDS.

The 3-2 vote was hailed as an “encouraging sign” by Municipal Judge Rand Schrader, vice chairman of the county’s Commission on AIDS. The county counsel was instructed to draft an ordinance, which will require a final vote by the supervisors, along the lines recommended by the year-old commission. Such an ordinance would outlaw discrimination against AIDS victims in housing, employment, education and in places of business.

“I was pleased with the dignity and seriousness with which the board discussed this matter,” Schrader said, adding, “There were no jokes, no slighting comments.”

Other Ordinances

Similar ordinances have been adopted by the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and West Hollywood, as well as several other cities and counties in the state.

Schrader and Jim Dionisio, governmental affairs specialist from AIDS Project Los Angeles, a non-profit social agency, appeared before the board to outline the ordinance proposed by the commission. The new law would set up procedures for victims of acquired immune deficiency syndrome to fight discrimination.

Under the proposed ordinance, victims of discrimination could go to court if their attempts at mediation are unsuccessful. Enforcement of the ordinance would require a staff of two or three people, including the part-time services of an attorney, and would cost an estimated $100,000 a year, according to the county’s Department of Health Services.

Reservations Expressed

Schabarum expressed reservations about the proposal and questioned Dionisio and Schrader closely about the public health implications of protecting AIDS victims who work in food-handling jobs.

Responding to Schabarum’s questions about a chef working in a restaurant, Dionisio said, “There is no threat of exposure there.” He explained that AIDS is not transmitted by cooking or handling food.

“No one is urging that the ordinance take away the county’s right to protect public health,” Schrader said, adding that any real health threat could be dealt with under the ordinance. “All we are saying is don’t give way to fear.”