San Francisco approves fully paid leave for new parents

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco became the first place in the country Tuesday to require businesses to provide fully paid leave for new parents in what was hailed as the latest move to address income inequality in the nation.

The measure approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors will give new mothers and fathers six weeks of fully paid time off, a rarity now offered to some government sector workers and some private employees, particularly those who work in the tech industry.

"The vast majority of workers in this country have little or no access to paid parental leave, and that needs to change," Supervisor Scott Wiener, who pushed the measure, said at a news conference before the vote.

Small business owners complained that the mandate is the latest in a long list of city mandates — including paid sick leave and health coverage — that unfairly targets them.

Paid leave has become a topic in the presidential campaign as companies, especially in Silicon Valley, start offering better benefits.