The Department of Justice opened a probe into the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board to determine whether employment practices violate Title VII by discriminating on race, color, sex, or national origin. The DOJ cited CalEPA guidance and CARB's Racial Equity Framework as using protected characteristics to advance racial equity and possibly engage in race-based decision-making. The DOJ noted a 2020 CalEPA document titled Practices to Advance Racial Equity in Workforce Planning that recommends applying a racial equity lens, screening for cultural competency and lived experience, and diversifying interview panels. The investigation follows presidential actions targeting DEI initiatives.
The Trump administration on Wednesday announced it is opening an investigation into the California Environmental Protection Agency, including the powerful California Air Resources Board, over potentially discriminatory employment practices. In a notice addressed to CalEPA Secretary Yana Garcia, the Department of Justice said its investigation will determine whether the state agency is "engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, color, sex, and national origin" in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
"In publicly available guidance documents, CalEPA highlights 'hiring, promotion and retention practices and policies' that indicate it may be using protected characteristics to 'advance racial equity,'" the DOJ wrote in a news release accompanying the notice. "Further, CARB, a division of CalEPA, appears to use these policies to engage in discriminatory employment practices in its 'Racial Equity Framework,' which aims to advance race-based decision-making within the agency."
President Trump campaigned in staunch opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, or DEI, which seek to promote fairness and equal representation in workplaces, educational institutions and other organizations. Trump in January signed a flurry of executive orders targeting DEI practices in the federal government. The items in question include CalEPA's " Practices to Advance Racial Equity in Workforce Planning " - a 2020 document intended to guide agency officials in equitable hiring, promotion and retention practices and policies.
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