Workplace Discrimination in California: Knowing Your Rights Under State and Federal Law

By Lawrence Glasner, Employment Attorney  |  Glasner Law P.C.  |  Redding, CA

Discrimination at work doesn’t always look like the obvious, overt acts you might imagine. It rarely arrives with an explicit statement of bias. Instead, it often surfaces in patterns — a promotion that goes to someone less qualified, a standard applied unevenly, a comment written off as a joke, or a hostile environment that makes every workday feel like a test of endurance. California’s employment discrimination laws are broad, powerful, and designed to address all of these forms of unlawful treatment.

Who Is Protected Under California Law?

California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) is one of the most comprehensive anti-discrimination statutes in the United States. It protects employees from discrimination based on:

• Race and color
• National origin and ancestry
• Sex and gender (including gender identity and gender expression)
• Sexual orientation
• Age (40 and over)
• Disability — physical and mental
• Medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics)
• Religion and religious creed
• Pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions
• Marital status
• Military and veteran status

These protections apply to all aspects of the employment relationship — hiring, pay, assignments, promotions, training, discipline, and termination.

What Discrimination Looks Like in Practice

Discrimination is rarely announced. It shows up in ways that can be difficult to name but are recognizable to those who experience them:

• Disparate treatment — being treated differently than similarly situated employees outside your protected class.
• Discriminatory hiring or promotion decisions — being passed over for positions you are clearly qualified for.
• Pay inequity — receiving lower compensation than colleagues doing substantially the same work.
• Hostile work environment — harassment, derogatory comments, or offensive conduct that is severe or pervasive enough to alter the terms and conditions of employment.
• Failure to accommodate — refusal to provide a reasonable accommodation for a disability or religious practice.
• Discriminatory application of policies — neutral-seeming policies applied in ways that disproportionately burden members of a protected class.

Harassment as a Form of Discrimination

California law treats severe or pervasive workplace harassment as a form of unlawful discrimination. This includes:

• Sexual harassment — unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or a work environment permeated with sexual conduct.
• Racial or ethnic harassment — slurs, demeaning comments, or racially charged communications.
• Disability harassment — mockery, derogatory comments, or exclusion based on a physical or mental condition.
• Religious harassment — targeting, mockery, or coercion related to religious beliefs or practices.

Employers are legally responsible for harassment by supervisors and may be liable for harassment by coworkers or third parties when they knew or should have known about it and failed to act.

Disability Discrimination and the Duty to Accommodate

Under FEHA, employers with five or more employees must:

• Provide reasonable accommodations for known physical or mental disabilities, unless doing so causes undue hardship.
• Engage in a good faith interactive process with the employee to identify possible accommodations.
• Refrain from discriminating against employees based on their disability or the employer’s perception of disability.

If you requested an accommodation and were denied, disciplined, or terminated in connection with that request, you may have a strong discrimination claim.

Age Discrimination in California

Age discrimination affects workers 40 and older and is among the most common — and most quietly tolerated — forms of workplace discrimination. It often disguises itself as “restructuring,” “performance improvement,” or concerns about an employee’s ability to “adapt” to a changing workplace. If you are an experienced worker who has been pushed out in favor of younger employees, the circumstances deserve a close look.

The Filing Deadline: Do Not Wait

For California discrimination claims under FEHA, you must file a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department within three years of the discriminatory act. For federal claims, the deadline is 300 days from the discriminatory act to file with the EEOC. These deadlines are not flexible — missing them typically means losing your right to pursue a claim entirely.

Glasner Law P.C.: Protecting Northern California Workers

Discrimination claims require careful investigation, strategic presentation, and an attorney who understands both the law and the human stakes involved. Lawrence Glasner brings over 30 years of employment litigation experience to workers across Redding, Shasta County, and Northern California. He will listen to your story, give you an honest assessment of your rights, and help you decide on the best course of action.

Schedule Your Free Consultation  |  (530) 688-8154  |  glasnermediation.comAttorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The information in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship