The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) has opened an investigation into the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) over allegations of racial equity-focused hiring practices.
In a letter dated Wednesday, the DOJ informed the state environmental agency that it is examining whether CalEPA “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 of 1964.”
“Our investigation is based on information that CalEPA may be engaged in employment practices that discriminate against employees, job applicants, and training program participants based on race, color, sex, and national origin in violation of Title VII,” wrote Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division in the letter.
The letter specifically references CalEPA’s “Practices to Advance Racial Equity in Workforce Planning” document, which encourages “applying a racial equity lens to every phase of workforce development” and recommends that “interview panels should reflect racial, ethnic, gender and other diversity as much as possible.”
“Including different groups of people and perspectives in the hiring process, including people of color, can lessen the impact of in-group bias in hiring,” the document states.
The guidance also instructs hiring managers to consider “screening practices” that take into account “cultural competency and lived experience.”
“When forming the screening criteria, broaden the focus on applicable knowledge, skills, and abilities to include points in the Screening Criteria Scoring Key pertaining to cultural competency and lived experience,” the document advises.
In a statement regarding the investigation, Dhillon said, “Race-based employment practices and policies in America’s local and state agencies violate equal treatment under the law.”
“Agencies that unlawfully use protected characteristics as a factor in employment and hiring risk serious legal consequences,” she added.
