Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signs the national petition for the Equal Right Amendment

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has made history as the first mayor of a major city in California to sign the national Sign4ERA petition supporting the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) — a national constitutional amendment that would explicitly prohibit sex-based discrimination. Mayor Bass was joined by former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, co-founder and President of the Feminist Majority Foundation Eleanor Smeal, and Executive Director of the Feminist Majority Foundation Kathy Spillar.

Sign4ERA is a national grassroots petition drive spearheaded by former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney to urge Congress to ratify the ERA as the 28th Amendment. The petition now has nearly 100,000 signatures.

“The Equal Rights Amendment is needed now more than ever,” said President of the Feminist Majority Foundation Eleanor Smeal. “We were just told by the Supreme Court that there is no basis, no foundation, no building brick in the Constitution that covers sex discrimination.” The National Conference of Mayors supports the ERA and were delighted that Mayor Bass is taking action.

Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, women’s rights have been facing serious threats from right-wing extremists. The Dobbs decision made it clear that the Court will not interpret the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause to ensure full equality for women. Therefore, the ERA is essential as a legal tool to prevent further rollbacks of women’s rights and to empower Congress to pass new laws to protect equality in education, employment, and all aspects of public life.     

Seven in 10 voters support the ERA being placed in the Constitution, with a majority (57 percent) strongly supporting the ERA, according to a national poll by Lake Research Partners for Ms. and FMF. By signing the national petition, Mayor Bass is setting a powerful example to political leaders throughout the country that we will not wait any longer for equality. 

Show your support for the ERA here!