Federal investigators are probing California’s two major environmental agencies for possible civil rights violations by allegedly using discriminatory employment practices.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) notified California Environmental Protection (CalEPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB), a division of CalEPA, of the investigation and alleged civil rights violations on Aug. 27.

“Race-based employment practices and policies in America’s local and state agencies violate equal treatment under the law,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Agencies that unlawfully use protected characteristics as a factor in employment and hiring risk serious legal consequences.”

President Donald Trump banned government diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs on his first day in office via executive order. The action applies to all federal employees, contractors, and agencies that receive federal grant funding.

CARB and Cal EPA has received millions of dollars in federal funding each year.

A CalEPA spokesperson confirmed the receipt of the DOJ’s investigation notice on Aug. 29.

“We are aware of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Aug. 27 announcement, and we are reviewing the notice,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

Federal investigators pointed to the California agency’s use of “racial equity“ practices for hiring, promotion, and retention.

While equality, which has long been the American standard, refers to treating all people the same regardless of background, equity aims for equal outcomes and tries to achieve that by giving preferential treatment to groups that are considered to be disadvantaged or underrepresented.

“Practices to Advance Racial Equity in Workforce Planning,” which remains on Cal EPA’s website as of Aug. 29, highlights practices that the agency says may be applied to increase so-called racial equity in its hiring, promotion, and retention practices and policies.

Cal EPA also has a plan to achieve this through race-based hiring and retention practices, which was adopted in 2020.

The plan aims to increase the number of people of color within the agency by applying a “racial equity lens” to the entire workforce process, from recruitment to promotion.

According to the DOJ, CARB appears to have put the principles into practice through its “Racial Equity Framework,“ which ”describes the conceptual framework and model of organizational change that serves as the foundation for CARB’s work to advance equity.”

CARB adopted the framework vision in 2022, committing itself to “just social change” by advancing “racial equity in the achievement of its mission.”

The DOJ also accused the California agencies of using screening practices that account for “cultural competency and lived experience” when hiring, while using interview panels that “reflect racial, ethnic, gender, and other diversity, as much as possible.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a bill signing event related to redrawing the state’s congressional maps in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 21, 2025. Newsom signed an executive order in 2022 mandating state agencies and departments to embed equity considerations in policies and practices. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Gov. Gavin Newsom has promoted racial equity since 2020. He signed an executive order in 2022 directing all agencies and departments to embed equity considerations in policies and practices to “further advance equity and opportunity and address disparities in access and outcomes.”

The order also established the state’s first Racial Equity Commission and a state chief equity officer.

“In California, we recognize that our incredible diversity is the foundation for our state’s strength, growth and success—and that confronting inequality is not just a moral imperative, but an economic one,” Newsom said when introducing the executive order.

Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) applauded Newsom’s racial equity mandate in 2022.

Newsom’s office did not comment on his mandate and referred questions about the investigation to the Cal EPA.