SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA / A news summary : The Local Review / DEVELOPMENTS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Board Sets up Protocol for Bias Complaints

Setting up a protocol to deal with sexual harassment complaints in the Sheriff’s Department, the Board of Supervisors approved a plan that calls for the county affirmative action officer to receive and investigate complaints of gender discrimination.

Under the board plan--which was approved without comment Tuesday--the Sheriff’s Department must notify the county affirmative action office within 48 hours of receiving a complaint from an employee. “This will enable my office to begin monitoring the complaint immediately,” county affirmative action chief Dennis A. Tafoya said in a written report submitted to the board.

The action was taken in an effort to further define the role Tafoya will play in dealing with sexual harassment cases within the Sheriff’s Department, which has paid out $2.6 million to settle gender-related claims and lawsuits since 1995. At the urging of Supervisor Gloria Molina, Sheriff Lee Baca said two months ago that he was willing to give county affirmative action officials access to his department in an effort to root out gender and race-related problems.

In a motion introduced by Molina on Tuesday, the supervisor said it was important for the board to “solidify” the relationship by setting up a memorandum of understanding between the two departments.