Opinion ID: 2520945
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: FEHA Remedies

Text: The California Fair Employment Practices Act was enacted in 1959 (former Lab. Code, § 1410 et seq., repealed by Stats.1980, ch. 992, § 11, p. 3166) and recodified in 1980 in conjunction with the Rumford Fair Housing Act (former Health & Saf.Code, § 35700 et seq., repealed by Stats.1980, ch. 992, § 8, p. 3166) to form the FEHA. (Stats.1980, ch. 992, § 4, p. 3140.) The FEHA establishes as a civil right a person's freedom from employment discrimination based on disability. (Gov.Code, § 12921.) Discrimination because of disability is against public policy (Gov.Code, § 12920) and is an unlawful employment practice. (Gov.Code, § 12940.) The legislative scheme created two administrative bodies: the Department (Gov.Code, § 12901), which investigates, conciliates, and seeks redress of claimed discrimination (Gov.Code, § 12930), and the Fair Employment and Housing Commission (Commission) (Gov.Code, § 12903), which performs adjudicatory and rulemaking functions (Gov.Code, § 12935). Employees who believe they have suffered discrimination under FEHA may file complaints with the Department within a one-year period. (§ 12960.) The Department must then investigate their claims (§ 12963). It has 150 days to issue either an accusation for hearing before the Commission (§§ 12965, subd. (a), 12969) or a right to sue letter. Employees who receive a right to sue letter from the Department may then proceed on their statutory causes of action in superior court. They have one year from the date the letter is issued to do so. (§ 12965, subd. (b).) If the Department decides to issue an accusation with the Commission, it prosecutes the employee's complaint. If the Commission finds in favor of the employer, the employee may subsequently file suit in superior court. In this event, the Commission's findings are not binding on the court, which reviews the evidence de novo. (See State Personnel Bd. v. Fair Employment & Housing Com. (1985) 39 Cal.3d 422, 433, 217 Cal.Rptr. 16, 703 P.2d 354 ( State Personnel Bd. ); see also Kerrigan v. Fair Employment Practice Com. (1979) 91 Cal.App.3d 43, 51, 154 Cal.Rptr. 29.) The Legislature intended the FEHA's administrative system to occupy the field of regulation of discrimination in employment and housing encompassed by the provisions of [the act], exclusive of all other laws banning discrimination in employment and housing by any city, city and county, county, or other political subdivision of the state.... (§ 12993, subd. (c).) In other words, although the FEHA does not limit the application of other state statutes (e.g., Civ.Code, § 51.7), or constitutional provisions involving discrimination, it expressly preempts local governmental laws, regulations, and procedures that would affect the rights included in its provisions. It provides a one-year grace period for pending local enforcement proceedings. (Gov.Code, § 12960; see Rojo v. Kliger (1990) 52 Cal.3d 65, 77-79, 276 Cal.Rptr. 130, 801 P.2d 373 ( Rojo ).)