City Of LA Underpays Women And People Of Color, Report Finds

L.A. is a "wonderful and diverse city, but it isn't an equitable one," according to City Controller Ron Galperin.

In a new report, “Diversity With Equity: Achieving Fairness at the City of Los Angeles,” he outlines employment trends for city workers.

The main finding: White men were paid more than men of color and white women. And women of color were paid less than everyone else, with Black women faring worst overall.

Here are some other main points:

• L.A. City workers earn an average of $53 per hour.
• Black and Latino city workers earn $9 an hour less than that.
• 73% of workers employed by the city are people of color, but most of the highest-paid employees are white men.
• 81% of the women who work for the city are women of color; they are at the bottom of the pay scale for every job description.
• The least diverse departments in L.A. city government are the Department of Building and Safety (44% white) and the Fire Department (46% white).
• The most diverse city departments are the Department of Transportation and L.A. World Airports – the workforce at both is 31% Black and Latino.

For the visually inclined, the report contains some illustrated statistics:

Galperin says diversity numbers for each city department should be posted on the city's website.

You can read the full report here.

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