DOJ investigates California EPA’s hiring over racial equity

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) over its efforts on racial equity in hiring practices.

The Trump administration, in a letter issued Wednesday, said the state environmental agency “may be engaged in employment practices that discriminate … based on race, color, sex, and national origin.”

Specifically, it pointed to CalEPA’s “Practices to Advance Racial Equity in Workforce Planning.”

The document calls for “applying a racial equity lens to every phase of workforce development” and says that interview panels should reflect racial, ethnic, gender and other diversity “as much as possible.”

Starting the investigation does not mean the Department of Justice has made a determination of wrongdoing. 

The Hill has reached out to CalEPA, which is distinct from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, for comment. 

President Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) have had a particularly antagonistic relationship. Newsom, who is widely expected to run for president in 2028, has trolled Trump online and has used his perch in California to push back on the president’s efforts to create more Republican congressional districts in Texas. 

The administration and California have also clashed in recent weeks over car and truck regulations, with the administration seeking to strip California’s authority to set electric vehicle rules and partner with companies to maintain truck emissions standards.

The administration has also vocally fought against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, both at the federal level as well as in states. 

Proponents of racial equity seek to reduce disparities and improve the lives of groups that have faced discrimination.

However, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a written statement that “race-based employment practices and policies in America’s local and state agencies violate equal treatment under the law.” 

“Agencies that unlawfully use protected characteristics as a factor in employment and hiring risk serious legal consequences,” Dhillon said.