Los Angeles County and the State of California have equity policies regarding gender identity and expression and sexual orientation. Municipalities from Ypsilanti, Michigan to Los Angeles, have adopted ordinances that prohibit employment discrimination by government contractors, providing a model for other cities to follow. In 2001, San Francisco became the first major jurisdiction to eliminate exclusions that prohibited employees from accessing medically necessary transgender-specific health care in employee health plans. Equity offices can also process complaints of discrimination based on local laws and provide compliance training to municipal employees, such as the Washington, D.
C. Human Rights Office. To increase visibility of services that include LGBTQ people, cities and counties can participate in local pride parades or other pride events with the staff and clients of elderly care programs. In 1992, after the veto of Act AB101, Governor Pete Wilson reversed course and signed a law that reformed existing anti-discrimination laws in California to include sexual orientation in employment.
Los Angeles has taken steps to recognize the historical context of the LGBTQ community and is helping to develop an inventory of LGBTQ historic sites. The law requires that the political, economic and social contributions of people with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people be included in educational textbooks and social curricula in California public schools by amending the California Education Code. Using intersectional and public health frameworks, it focuses on the health and well-being of LGBT communities, the collection of data on sexual orientation and gender identity, and the improvement of the social and economic status of LGBT people through public policies. The community school program in Multnomah County, Oregon, for example, partnered with a local LGBTQ organization to provide anti-bullying training to educators and coordinate GSAs in schools.
City and county officials often establish close relationships with their constituents and have a keen interest in building trust between those voters and local government. Differences in state laws that authorize the establishment of political subdivisions have resulted in numerous government structures.
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