Welcome to the State of California

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FEHC Info

The Fair Employment and Housing Commission was established in 1959 (as the Fair Employment Practice Commission), and consists of seven members appointed by the Governor with the consent of the state Senate.  The Commissioners serve staggered four-year terms.  Current Commissioners are George Woolverton, Chairman; Tamiza Hockenhull, Vice-Chair; Carol Freeman; and Linda Ng. There are currently three vacancies on the Commission.  Ann M. Noel is the Commission's Executive and Legal Affairs Secretary.

The Fair Employment and Housing Commission enforces California civil rights laws regarding discrimination in employment, housing , and public accommodations; pregnancy disability leave; family and medical leave; and hate violence.  The Commission engages in five primary activities: administrative adjudication; mediations, regulations; legislation; and public information and training.

The Commission is a small agency with a broad mandate.  The Commission’s adjudicatory authority is comparable to state and federal trial-level courts.  The Commission’s regulatory authority is similar to that of the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on employment discrimination, the Department of Housing and Urban Development on housing discrimination, the Department of Labor on family and medical leave, and the U.S. Civil Rights Commission on many civil rights issues.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Fair Employment and Housing Commission is to promote and enforce the civil rights of the people of California to be free from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and to be free from hate violence and threats of violence, pursuant to the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA, Gov. Code, §12900 et seq.).

Background

The Commission and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (Department) are separate entities in state government.  Together, they are responsible for enforcing state civil rights laws in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, and hate violence. 

The Commission has several important functions.  It conducts hearings and issues decisions in cases prosecuted before it by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing.  Where an unlawful practice is found, the Commission may order a range of remedies, including back pay, compensatory damages, administrative fines and civil penalties, injunctive relief, and reinstatement.  The Commission also promulgates regulations interpreting the laws within its jurisdiction.  The Commission also serves as a forum for civil rights issues and provides information and education on the laws it enforces.

The Department of Fair Employment and Housing is separate from the Commission.  The Department receives, investigates, conciliates and prosecutes complaint alleging discrimination in the employment, housing and public accommodations.  The Department prosecutes cases before the Commission, or, in certain instances, in court.  The Department maintains field offices throughout the state.