Board of Directors Board President Lois Thompson Partner Proskauer Rose LLP Board Treasurer Chris Hollinger Partner O’Melveny & Myers LLP Board Secretary Cathy Kim Director, Corporate Development Arzon Solar, Inc. Members Tony Blain Principal Blain & Associates Samantha Caldwell Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary Health Net Inc. Christa M. Demeke Counsel Roll Law Group P.C. Truc Do Partner Jones Day LLP Mira El Sonbaty Senior Counsel, Privacy Fox Group Legal Theane Evangelis Partner Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Mayra Fornos Founder Fornos Law Firm Victor George Principal Law Offices of Victor George Esra Hudson Partner Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP Shawn Khorrami Principal Khorrami Boucher LLP Edie Mermelstein, Esq. Law Offices of F. Edie Mermelstein Pamela Palmer Partner Pepper Hamilton LLP Laura Petroff Partner Winston & Strawn LLP Interim Executive Director Betsy Butler March 27, 2015 The Honorable Hannah-Beth Jackson State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 RE: SB 358 (Jackson) – California Fair Pay Act Dear Senator Jackson: On behalf of the California Women’s Law Center (CWLC), I am writing in support of SB 358, the California Fair Pay Act, which strengthens the state’s existing equal pay law by eliminating loopholes preventing effective enforcement and empowering employees to discuss pay without fear of retaliation. CWLC is the first law center funded in California solely dedicated to addressing the comprehensive and unique legal needs of women and girls. Since its founding in 1989, CWLC has worked to eliminate barriers that keep women and girls in poverty and advance the potential of women and girls through transformative litigation, policy advocacy and education. Despite the passage of the California Equal Pay Act (EPA), women in California continue to earn less than men for the same or substantially equivalent work. This inequality contributes to a higher poverty rate among women — especially among women of color and women with children. SB 358 ensures that employees performing substantially equivalent work are paid fairly by requiring equal pay for work “of comparable character.” This bill also discourages pay secrecy by prohibiting retaliation or discrimination against employees who discuss their compensation or inquire about their co-workers’ wages for the purpose of exercising their rights under EPA. Women deserve to live in a society where equal pay is the standard and gender does not determine compensation. For the above reasons, CWLC strongly supports SB 358 and appreciates your leadership on this significant issue. Sincerely, Betsy Butler Interim Executive Director Cc: Tara Welch, Senate Judiciary Committee Deanna Ping, Senate Labor Committee Martha Gutierrez, Senate Labor Committee 360 North Sepulveda Boulevard, Suite 2070 | El Segundo, CA 90245 Phone: 323-951-1041 | Fax: 323-951-9870 Email: [email protected] | Web: cwlc.org