The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) has launched an investigation into the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) over accusations of racial equity-based hiring practices. [emphasis, links added]
In a letter dated Wednesday, the DOJ notified the state environmental agency of an investigation into whether it “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,” Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division wrote in the letter.
The letter specifically cites CalEPA’s “Practices to Advance Racial Equity in Workforce Planning” document that promotes “applying a racial equity lens to every phase of workforce development” and states 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 reads.
The document also urged hiring managers to engage in “screening practices” that account for “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,” it reads.
In a statement announcing the probe, 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 continued.
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