SAN FRANCISCO — California State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, introduced a bill Tuesday to explicitly protect female entrepreneurs who face sexual harassment and discrimination from male investors and venture capitalists.

Senate Bill 224 is a proposed amendment to the California Unruh Civil Rights Act which will add specific language about protecting entrepreneurs in their often necessary relationships with investors. The nonprofit Equal Rights Advocates is partnering with Jackson to pass the bill.

“My bill will amend the Unruh Civil Rights Act, which is critical here in California, and it will make it crystal clear that there is legal protection for women under the law who experience this kind of predatory behavior,” Jackson said on a call with reporters today. “Specifically, the law will have their backs when it comes to this particular type of relationship between investor and entrepreneur.”