Proposal to Abolish Women’s Panel Assailed

Despite an outcry from women activists around the state, county budget cutters recommended in a report obtained Tuesday that the Commission on the Status of Women be dissolved to achieve a savings of $121,884 a year.

A report to be formally presented next Tuesday to the Board of Supervisors concludes that the financially strapped county government should disband the panel and shift oversight of women’s issues to the Orange County Human Relations Commission.

Created in 1975, the 15-member panel has reported on issues ranging from domestic violence to child care; it has also acted as a clearinghouse for women in need of a wide range of services and currently fields about 300 phone calls per month, according to commission staff.

In his report to the board, however, County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider argues that a separate commission on women is no longer necessary.

“These commissions are board-appointed and not mandated by the state or federal government,” the report says. “The study found that both commissions have similar goals,” namely fighting discrimination. “Women’s issues would no longer be treated as a separate specialized group but would be absorbed and addressed as part of the (Human Relations Commission’s) current goals.”

The report says that eliminating the women’s commission staff, made up of two-full time employees and one part-time aide, would save the county $95,000 a year; the county would also eliminate additional overhead expenses of about $26,000.

“I think it’s a disgrace,” said Eliza Cason, 60, an Anaheim mother appointed to the commission three years ago. “It’s a step back 15 years.”

Pat Towner, executive director of the California Commission on the Status of Women, said Tuesday that she has already started making phone calls to generate letters of support for the Orange County commission. There are 30 other commissions around the state that can be counted on to help fight the cut if necessary, Towner added.

Women face myriad problems that would not be adequately addressed by a commission whose primary focus is discrimination, Towner argued.

“Do they worry about child care?” Towner asked rhetorically of the Human Rights Commission. “That’s not discrimination, but it’s a women’s issue. Do they worry about domestic violence? That’s not discrimination, but it’s a women’s issue.

“This sends a clear message to the county that women’s issues are of lesser important than all others.”

Commission Executive Director Carol Hatch wondered how county administrators reached the conclusion that eliminating the commission would save $121,000, noting that her entire budget for the year is $114,000. In addition, Hatch said the commission has raised $7,000 for county coffers through newsletter subscriptions and other events it has sponsored.

Hatch maintained that the commission deals with far more than issues of discrimination. Women, for example, still face discrimination in obtaining loans and often have difficulty establishing a business on their own. Last year, the commission sponsored a small business conference, which brought in business, banking and financial experts to discuss ways of overcoming such obstacles.

Since 1985, the commission has kept statistics on the cases of domestic violence to which law enforcement agencies throughout the county have responded and has periodically released reports on the subject to the board. Hatch said such reports heighten the public’s awareness of the problem.

“There’s a certain amount of education that has to happen before changes can occur,” Hatch said.

Hatch said the commission is currently working on a countywide study that shows what she believes is a relatively small number of arrests compared to the number of reports of domestic violence. But because the commission’s funding is so uncertain, she does not know whether the report will be completed.

The commission has enough money to operate independently through June, but the county is now conducting a midyear review of the budget.