Justice Department Probes CalEPA Over Alleged Discriminatory Hiring

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil-rights investigation into hiring and other employment practices at the California Environmental Protection Agency. In an Aug. 27 letter, Civil Rights Division chief Harmeet K. Dhillon said the inquiry will examine whether CalEPA and its largest office, the California Air Resources Board, discriminate against employees, job applicants and trainees on the basis of race, color, sex or national origin. Dhillon cited agency documents that call for applying a “racial equity lens,” ensuring diverse interview panels and prioritising “lived experience,” measures the DOJ alleges could amount to unlawful race-based decision-making. The investigation follows President Donald Trump’s January executive order directing federal agencies to scrutinise diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public and private institutions. If the Justice Department finds violations, CalEPA could face corrective orders, loss of federal funding or litigation. The agency did not immediately comment on the probe, which adds to a series of clashes between the Trump administration and California over environmental regulation, immigration and civil-rights policy.