West Hollywood Claims Victory in Sheriff’s Pact : Hiring: County OKs contract with clause prohibiting bias against gay, lesbian applicants.

West Hollywood officials claimed a symbolic victory Tuesday after the county Board of Supervisors voted to approve a five-year contract between the city and the Sheriff’s Department that contains a clause specifically barring discrimination in the hiring of gays and lesbians as deputies.

The board’s 3-1 vote to amend the language in its standard sheriff’s contract with West Hollywood means that the 39 cities in the county that are served by the Sheriff’s Department will include similar language as each contract comes up for renewal.

“I think this will go a long way toward easing the tensions that have existed for years between the Sheriff’s Department and the gay and lesbian community,” said West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman, who was present for the board’s vote.

The supervisors’ vote to “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation” was largely a symbolic gesture because the county is already prohibited by law from discriminating for non-merit factors, like sexual orientation, said Cmdr. John Hammargren, who supervises contracts for the Sheriff’s Department.

“The county does not see homosexuality as a bar to employment, so inclusion of this clause does not change our policy,” he said.

After Sheriff Sherman Block and Richard B. Dixon, the county’s chief administrative officer, voiced no objections to the addition, the contract was approved. Supervisors Ed Edelman, Deane Dana and Mike Antonovich voted in favor of the contract. Supervisor Pete Schabarum said the changes were unnecessary and cast the lone vote against the contract. Supervisor Kenneth Hahn was not present.

Schabarum also said he didn’t think being a gay and lesbian “was a proper lifestyle for a member of law enforcement.”

The Sheriff’s Department had sought to ease discrimination concerns in West Hollywood by issuing a “side letter,” assuring city officials of its policy. But in a city where officials estimate the gay population to be as high as 30%, the City Council last month rejected the side letter and approved specific language prohibiting discrimination in the contract.

The revised contract states: “As part of its compliance with all applicable laws and regulations relating to employee hiring, the county agrees that the county civil service rules to which it is subject and which prohibit discrimination on the basis of non-merit factors, shall for purposes of this contract be read and understood to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.”

Gay leaders praised the new contract as a major step forward in the recognition of the rights of gays.

“It becomes the standard contract for all 39 cities. That means we got it for West Hollywood, and we got it for the entire county,” said Wuzzy Spaulding, a member of the city’s Gay and Lesbian/Sheriff’s Conference Committee.

The conference committee, an advisory group composed of members of the gay communities and sheriff’s deputies, was created by the city and the West Hollywood sheriff’s station after a number of residents said they were being harassed by deputies.

As a result of the committee’s efforts, the West Hollywood sheriff’s station has cracked down on deputies who have been abusive. The committee uncovered one case of harassment that ultimately led to the dismissal of a deputy reserve office. The deputy was later convicted of assault.

Capt. Rachel Burgess, who heads the West Hollywood sheriff’s station, said deputies know that if they use disparaging terms for gays and lesbians, they will get three days’ suspension.

The conference committee has urged the recruiting of gay and lesbian deputies as a way to ease tensions. The Sheriff’s Department has responded by stepping up recruiting in the city. The department has begun setting up recruiting booths at predominantly gay events, such as this week’s Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade.