AIDS/HIV DISCRIMINATION UNIT 

The Office of the City Attorney AIDS/HIV Discrimination Unit enforces the City of Los Angeles's AIDS discrimination ordinance, the first of its kind nationwide. The Unit enforces the City's ordinance through a range of enforcement strategies, including public education, mediation, and litigation. In addition, AIDS/HIV Discrimination Unit attorneys advise City officials and departments on a wide range of AIDS law and policy matters, including such issues as testing, discrimination, privacy and confidentiality, and workplace safety especially as related to law enforcement and other emergency services personnel. The AIDS/HIV Discrimination Unit is the only government law office in the country that both enforces AIDS civil rights law and provides AIDS advice and counsel.

The Unit works closely with City departments and public safety officials to provide advice and guidance in developing AIDS/HIV policies and workplace protocols. The AIDS/HIV Discrimination Unit works closely with the Police and Fire Departments on matters related to HIV/AIDS related training, proper handling and clean-up of blood spills at crime and accident scenes, blood-borne pathogen exposure, and privacy guidelines for a proposed department HIV support groups. The Office of the City Attorney collaborates with the Department on Disabilities on a number of HIV/AIDS programs available throughout the City of Los Angeles.

Advancements

The AIDS/HIV Discrimination Unit spearheaded the formation of HALSA, the HIV & AIDS Legal Services Alliance for Los Angeles County. HALSA, an innovative collaboration between the City Attorney's Office, AIDS Project Los Angeles, the AIDS Service Center of Pasadena, the Gay and Lesbian Center, the Los Angeles County Bar, and Public Counsel, was created to provide high quality, HIV legal services in a culturally-sensitive manner to under-served communities throughout Los Angeles County.

The AIDS/HIV Discrimination Unit has filed friend-of-the-court briefs in several important AIDS civil rights cases, including the United States Supreme Court's first AIDS discrimination case, Bragdon v. Abbott, and Thomas v. Anchorage Equal Rights Commission. The Unit assisted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Justice in developing AIDS discrimination enforcement strategies, and has testified before national AIDS commissions. AIDS/HIV Discrimination attorneys are frequently invited to share its specialized expertise with the public, federal, state and local government officials, and professional and business organizations throughout the country.

The Office of the City Attorney AIDS/HIV Discrimination Unit has received important recognition in national AIDS/HIV policy development. In November, 2000 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopted the Unit's proposal that referral for legal counseling should be included as a key element in the "Revised Guidelines for HIV Counseling, Testing and Referral".[insert link to the Guidelines: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5019.pdf] The Unit's proposal for "HIV Legal Checkups" suggests that increased privacy protections for HIV/AIDS testing will increase volunteer testing rates by helping to prevent discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation. The Unit's proposal has been acclaimed as an outstanding example of the emerging field of health and human rights.

The Office of the City Attorney Office works closely with the community, as well as numerous government, educational and professional organizations to provide guidance, information, educational programs on AIDS law and policy.

For additional information on

• the AIDS/HIV Discrimination Unit’s publications
• upcoming educational programs
• AIDS law and policy
• related HIV legal resources
  

email us at aids@atty.lacity.org, call (213) 978-7758, or write to the AIDS/HIV Discrimination Unit, 200 North Main Street, Rm. 920, Los Angeles, CA 90012.