Yet another major step has been taken to help ensure that #TimesUp on Hollywood’s sexist culture: a new law requiring talent agencies to “provide educational materials on sexual harassment prevention, retaliation, and reporting resources to their clients” has been signed in California, Deadline confirms. Known as AB 2338, the new legislation was signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday.
Back in December Creative Artists Agency (CAA) joined ICM in pledging 50-50 gender parity by 2020. CAA also cancelled its annual Golden Globes party and instead used that money to set up a legal defense fund for sexual harassment cases. The fund will support harassment victims in all workplaces, not just those in show business.
AB 2338 also tackles the pressure on on-screen talent to be incredibly thin. It “requires agencies to provide resources for nutrition and eating disorders to its artists,” according to the source.
Additionally, there’s a “provision that would require the state labor commissioner to provide sexual harassment training to minors in the entertainment industry,” Deadline outlines. “The training will also be required for their legal guardians. The bill would further require a talent agency to request and retain a copy of the minor’s entertainment work permit prior to representing or sending a minor artist on an audition, meeting, or interview for engagement of the minor’s services.” In other words, the next generation of young actors will be better protected than the current and previous ones. That being said, we can’t help but notice that violation of the bill’s education and permit retention requirements results in a measly $100 penalty for each violation. That’s not much of a consequence — or a deterrent.
While the new bill passed both houses, it did not include an effective date, so it’s unclear when the law will start being enforced.
Sunday was a big day for Brown. He also signed a bill “mandating that all publicly traded companies with headquarters in the state have at least one woman on their boards by the end of next year,” The Wall Street Journal reports. “By 2021, companies with at least five directors would need to have two or three female directors, depending on the size of the board, according to the new law. Those that don’t face financial penalties.”
“It’s high time corporate boards include the people who constitute more than half the ‘persons’ in America,” Brown said in a letter to the California State Senate announcing his decision.
