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California Civil Rights Council holds public hearing on proposed contractor nondiscrimination regulations
Summary
The Civil Rights Council opened a formal rulemaking hearing June 6 on proposed modifications to contractor nondiscrimination and compliance regulations that implement FEHA and Government Code section 11135; the public may submit written comments until 5 p.m. the same day.
The Civil Rights Council held a noticed public hearing June 6 to receive testimony on proposed modifications to contractor nondiscrimination and compliance regulations that would implement Government Code section 12990 of the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and provisions of Government Code section 11135.
The hearing, opened by Chair Eric Garcia and summarized by Suj Lee, senior legislative and regulatory counsel for the California Civil Rights Department, covered proposed amendments to Title 2, Division 4.1, Chapter 5 of the California Code of Regulations and other implementing text. Lee said the changes “clarify the obligations of state contractors and subcontractors under FEHA as well as article 9.5” and incorporate recommendations from the 2023 SB 150 report. The council noted the rulemaking record includes the notice, initial statement of reasons and draft text posted with the meeting materials.
Why it matters: the changes would set standardized nondiscrimination clauses and compliance expectations for entities that contract with or receive funding from the state. Lee told the council the proposals also strike citations to sections of article 9.5 that were repealed by earlier statutes (SB 1442 (2016) and SB 447 (2023)).
Most immediate facts: the hearing was noticed in the California Regulatory Notice Register on April 11, 2025; the department emailed more than 8,000 stakeholders; and the public comment deadline for this phase of the rulemaking was set at 5 p.m. on June 6, 2025. Written comments may be emailed to council@civilrights.ca.gov or mailed to Suje Lee at the California Civil Rights Department. Lee said all testimony and written comments will become part of the official rulemaking record and that the council will respond to comments in the final statement of reasons.
Public input at the hearing covered technical, procedural and access issues. In-person and remote commenters raised concerns about the council’s Zoom setup and the ability of remote participants to contribute; remote commenter Elle Rose urged better use of virtual meeting tools and said disabling chat limited public access. A remote commenter, Samantha Spoon, used public comment time to call for stronger oversight of child protective services and legal reforms she said were necessary to protect parental rights; Chair Garcia thanked her for the comment and noted it was part of the public record. An employer representative who identified themself as “VF” said their organization would welcome clearer guidance on reasonable accommodations for associational disabilities.
The council did not take a regulatory vote at the hearing. Staff said they will consider oral testimony together with written submissions received by the deadline and that any changes made after today’s hearing may trigger a 15‑day comment period on modifications. The hearing portion for these proposed regulations was adjourned at approximately 10:18 a.m., and the transcription and written comments were added to the rulemaking record.
Next steps: staff will compile and respond to comments in the final statement of reasons as part of the rulemaking record. Interested parties who submitted testimony will be notified of any amendments and further comment periods, if applicable.
