California’s Civil Rights Agency’s Regulations Now in Effect

ELK GROVE, CA – The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the state’s civil rights agency, announced that its first-ever procedural regulations became effective today. The Department’s regulations were approved by the Office of Administrative Law on September 7, 2011 and filed with the Secretary of State. In a succinct and clear format, they replace nearly all of the formerly voluminous Department directives adopted over 30 years, making the Department’s procedures readily accessible and easy to understand.

The new rules capture existing procedures within the Department for handling complaints related to employment, housing, and public accommodation discrimination and incidents of hate violence. All complaints within the Department’s jurisdiction, for example, workplace harassment, discriminatory hiring or firing or refusal to rent on a discriminatory basis, are covered. Public testimony and written comments helped shape the final regulations.

“I am excited that the Department finally has procedural regulations that are clear, user friendly and citable as legal authority,” said Department of Fair Employment and Housing Director Phyllis Cheng. “These new rules comply with the Administrative Procedures Act and streamline the Department’s processes. We appreciate the public’s valuable feedback that made these regulations possible.”

The regulations formalize existing procedural steps for the Department’s administrative process, including intake, complaint filing, investigation, conciliation, and prosecution; they also cover the procedures of the Department’s new Mediation Division. The rules benefit employees, tenants, employers, businesses and housing providers alike. The regulations can be found in the California Code of Regulations, title 2, sections 10000 through 10066.

To visit the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, go to http://www.dfeh.ca.gov

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