Racial and ethnic discrimination refers to treating someone differently because of where they were born, the way they look, or because of their heritage.  Race, color, and ethnicity can have different meanings to different people, and there is often a lot of overlap.  However, any discrimination based on race, color, or ethnicity is illegal in California.

Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”) prohibit employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of race. it is an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discriminate against a person or harass a person because of his or her race or color in any aspect of employment. This includes:

• Refusing to hire or promote
• Refusing to select a person for a training program
• Firing or laying off an employee
• Discriminating against a person in compensation or in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, such as by:
  • Assigning different duties 
  • Denying benefits 
  • Reducing salary
  • Paying less

For example, if an employer only promotes white employees, this could be considered race discrimination.  Furthermore, if an employer only hires white applicants, this could also be considered race discrimination.