Articles Discussing Religious Discrimination In California.

Since both the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have reported a significant rise in religious discrimination cases in 2011 and 2012, Assembly Bill 1964, otherwise known as the California Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012 (“WRFA”), amending the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”), has attracted much attention. The amendments went into effect on January 1, 2013. They prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion (or religious creed) and require accommodation of employees’ religious practices and observances.

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed “The Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012” (WRFA) into law. The new law amends the religious discrimination portions of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (“CFEHA”) to include more stringent religious accommodation requirements for employers with workers in California. The law, signed on September 8, 2012, will take effect on November 1, 2013.