Fair Employment

Following a similar finding last month for Latino officers, California fair employment officials accused the Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday of discriminating against black police officers in the way that they are promoted, granted raises and moved up to coveted job assignments.

Question: I have been looking for a new apartment to rent. I found a studio apartment listed on Craigslist that sounded great, although the ad said applicants must "be employed. " I am unemployed, but I receive Social Security and pension retirement payments. I told the owner that I did not have a job, but that my retirement benefits amounted to more than three times the $900 rent. He said he would rent only to a tenant who was employed. He then explained that he was having financial troubles and could not afford to lose money on this property.

City Councilman Carlos Bustamante has been appointed to the state Fair Employment and Housing Commission, the governor's office said Thursday. "Carlos' background in both public and private sectors dealing with housing issues makes him uniquely qualified for this position," said Rachel Cameron, a spokeswoman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Question: I called the rental office of a local apartment complex in response to an ad. The manager told me there were several one-bedroom units still available and we set up an appointment to view the units. When I arrived for the meeting, the manager saw that I am an African American and told me there was only one unit left. I went with him to see this unit, but as we walked to it, I noticed several units near a nice fountain and patio area that appeared to be vacant. When I asked about those units, I was told they had just been rented.

Re "Mi Casa No Es Su Casa," Nov. 21: The number of Department of Fair Employment and Housing cases cited represents only closed cases that were formally litigated in court. That figure failed to include the vast majority of cases resolved by the DFEH, including cases that remain open, which are not subject to public disclosure, or cases settled through conciliation. In fact, between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 2001, 626 complaints alleging housing discrimination based on race and national origin were settled by the DFEH through conciliation.

A firm that owns a Fullerton battery plant has challenged a state ruling that its policy designed to protect the unborn results in discrimination against women. The challenge was in an Orange County Superior Court lawsuit filed by Johnson Controls Inc. against the California Fair Employment and Housing Commission. Johnson owns a plant in Fullerton, called Globe Battery Division, that manufactures batteries for vehicles.

RUTH M. LELCHUK Orange According to the letterhead of the State Department of Fair Employment and Housing, it is a consumer services agency with 11 offices statewide. I assume that means they exist to serve the consumers and/or taxpayers of our fair state with any questions or problems they may have pertaining to illegal discrimination in employment or housing. Well, sort of, but not quite.

Carol F. Schiller, a tireless civil rights worker who until illness forced her retirement last year was assistant deputy director of the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing, died Saturday. Judy Howell, a friend and colleague, said Schiller was 58 when she died after a lengthy battle against cancer. When she retired last July--after three decades of work on behalf of equality in housing--more than 300 people honored her at a dinner.

A state commission must reconsider its finding that a Fullerton battery plant violated fair-employment laws in refusing to hire fertile women for jobs that involve exposure to high levels of lead, an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday. Since 1982, Johnson Controls Inc. has refused to hire women for about 25% of the jobs in its automotive battery plants unless they can prove they are sterile.

The California Supreme Court was urged Friday to allow job-bias claimants to bypass the state's civil rights agency and file suit directly in court, where they could obtain far larger damage awards. Attorneys for two women who charged that their employer demanded sexual favors as the price of keeping their jobs told the justices that state prohibitions against employment discrimination permit such suits to deter bias.

A Norco housewife, whose protests against a group home for the developmentally disabled drew the scrutiny of housing discrimination investigators, has settled a lawsuit alleging the government inquiry infringed on her right to free speech. Julie Waltz, 64, agreed this month to settle her case in exchange for $110,000 and the promise that the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing will establish a "Julie Waltz First Amendment Policy." The new policy prohibits the department from investigating citizens for housing discrimination solely on the basis of free speech activity, including speaking at public meetings, and writing, distributing and displaying signs or newspaper articles critical of public housing projects, even if they appear to advocate discriminatory policies.

City Councilman Carlos Bustamante has been appointed to the state Fair Employment and Housing Commission, the governor's office said Thursday. "Carlos' background in both public and private sectors dealing with housing issues makes him uniquely qualified for this position," said Rachel Cameron, a spokeswoman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Re "Mi Casa No Es Su Casa," Nov. 21: The number of Department of Fair Employment and Housing cases cited represents only closed cases that were formally litigated in court. That figure failed to include the vast majority of cases resolved by the DFEH, including cases that remain open, which are not subject to public disclosure, or cases settled through conciliation. In fact, between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 2001, 626 complaints alleging housing discrimination based on race and national origin were settled by the DFEH through conciliation.

In a ruling that establishes new protections for workers, the California Supreme Court on Thursday sharply limited the kinds of mandatory arbitration agreements that companies can impose on their employees. Workers may still be required to give up their right to sue over discriminatory firings or disciplinary actions, the justices said in a unanimous decision.

Q. I was the only female on a team of highly specialized technical professionals hired by a large corporation to solve a specific problem. When it became clear that the corporation was no longer interested in solving the problem, I tried to start new projects or work on existing projects that were valuable to the company. This apparently irritated my boss because some of my work benefited a rival department. I was isolated. I received no communication and was excluded from meetings.

RUTH M. LELCHUK Orange According to the letterhead of the State Department of Fair Employment and Housing, it is a consumer services agency with 11 offices statewide. I assume that means they exist to serve the consumers and/or taxpayers of our fair state with any questions or problems they may have pertaining to illegal discrimination in employment or housing. Well, sort of, but not quite.

The state Supreme Court held Monday that part-time workers for thousands of dentists and other small employers are protected under California's anti-discrimination laws. The court, in a case watched closely by women's and employment-rights groups, rejected 6 to 1 an attempt to overturn a 1983 ruling by the state Fair Employment and Housing Commission broadly applying the laws' protections.

Question: I called the rental office of a local apartment complex in response to an ad. The manager told me there were several one-bedroom units still available and we set up an appointment to view the units. When I arrived for the meeting, the manager saw that I am an African American and told me there was only one unit left. I went with him to see this unit, but as we walked to it, I noticed several units near a nice fountain and patio area that appeared to be vacant. When I asked about those units, I was told they had just been rented.

A Ventura County flower rancher originally charged with enslaving hundreds of Mexican laborers was described Monday in a federal sentencing hearing as a fair employer to whom workers returned year after year for jobs. Three former or current employees of Edwin M. Ives told U.S. District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall that Ives treated them well and never forced workers to stay on his Somis ranch against their will.

The state Supreme Court held Monday that part-time workers for thousands of dentists and other small employers are protected under California's anti-discrimination laws. The court, in a case watched closely by women's and employment-rights groups, rejected 6 to 1 an attempt to overturn a 1983 ruling by the state Fair Employment and Housing Commission broadly applying the laws' protections.