On June 25, 2018, the California Legislature adopted its Policy on Appropriate Workplace Conduct: Creating a Culture of Respect, Civility, and Diversity, which takes effect on February 1, 2019. The policy protects employees (including unpaid interns, fellows, and volunteers) of, and applicants for, employment with, the Senate and Assembly from discrimination, harassment, whistleblower retaliation, other retaliation, and other inappropriate conduct by supervisors, managers, coworkers, and third parties with whom an employee comes into contact for work.

The Legislature’s Policy on Appropriate Workplace Conduct is intended to stop inappropriate conduct based on a person’s protected status before the conduct reaches the level of becoming discrimination or harassment prohibited by law. The characteristics of an individual that are protected by law (that are considered “protected status”) include:

  • Sex (including, but not limited to, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, reproductive health decisionmaking, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and reproductive health decisionmaking)
  • Gender
  • Gender identity
  • Gender expression
  • Race (“Race is inclusive of traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles.”)
  • Color
  • Ancestry
  • National origin (including, but not limited to, language use restrictions)
  • Religious creed (including, but not limited to, religious dress and grooming practices)
  • Age (40 and over)
  • Physical disability
  • Mental disability
  • Sexual orientation
  • Marital status
  • Military and veteran status
  • Medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics)
  • Genetic information
  • Any other characteristic protected by state or federal law

Inappropriate workplace conduct need not be severe or pervasive or result in an adverse employment action to violate the Legislature’s policy. Similarly, the conduct need not be unwelcome to the party against whom it is directed to violate the policy. Accordingly, the use of a racial slur or sexually suggestive text violates the policy and could result in disciplinary action. The Legislature takes violations of its policy and federal and state laws seriously.

Any employee or Member of the Senate or Assembly who believes they have been subjected to conduct that potentially violates the Legislature’s Policy on Appropriate Workplace Conduct is strongly encouraged to report the matter.

You may report your concerns by:

  • informing your supervisor or any manager;
  • clicking on the "Make a Report" button below;
  • calling the reporting hotline at (877) 231-5956;
  • faxing (916) 321-3011; and/or
  • reporting them in person to the Workplace Conduct Unit at 915 L Street, Suite 1260, Sacramento, CA 95814.

Please provide as thorough a response as possible in response to questions or prompts on the report form.

For other types of claims not covered by the description above, please contact Senate Human Resources or Assembly Human Resources.

The hotline and the website are monitored and reviewed exclusively by the Workplace Conduct Unit, a division within the Office of the Legislative Counsel independent of the Legislature, created to investigate complaints of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the Legislature.

If you experience or observe behaviors that are inconsistent with the Legislature's commitment to provide an environment safe from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation for its employees and the public it serves, please report them here.

You can choose to be an anonymous reporter. You will receive a report key and password that will allow you to continue to communicate with us anonymously. Reporting anonymously, however, may make it more difficult for the independent investigators to investigate your complaint.

To check the status of a report you previously made, you may either call the hotline or click on the "Follow-up on a Report" button.

Neither the Senate nor the Assembly tolerates retaliation against those who have reported suspected wrongdoing.

The Workplace Conduct Unit is not intended to replace management or supervisory oversight. You may always report your concerns directly to your manager. Personnel issues may also be addressed to Senate Human Resources or Assembly Human Resources.

Make a Report

To Make a Report

You may use any of the following methods to submit a report:

  • Select the "Make a Report" link at the bottom of this page.
  • OR
  • Dial toll-free, within the United States:
  • OR
  • In person at:
    Workplace Conduct Unit
    915 L Street, Suite 1260
    Sacramento, CA 95814
  • OR
  • Inform your supervisor or any manager

To report a concern directly to state and federal enforcement authorities, you can contact:

Civil Rights Department (CRD, formerly the Department of Fair Employment and Housing)

1-800-884-1684
1-800-700-2320 (TTY for Deaf/Hard of Hearing callers only)
California Relay Service at 711

Email: contact.center@dfeh.ca.gov

Website: calcivilrights.ca.gov

CRD headquarters: 2218 Kausen Drive, Suite 100
Elk Grove, CA 95758

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

1-800-669-4000
1-800-669-6820 (TTY for Deaf/Hard of Hearing callers only)
1-844-234-5122 (ASL Video Phone for Deaf/Hard of Hearing callers only)

Email: info@eeoc.gov

Website: https://publicportal.eeoc.gov/portal/ or www.eeoc.gov

San Francisco District Office:
450 Golden Gate Avenue, 5 West
P.O. Box 36025
San Francisco, CA 94102-3661

San Jose District Office:
96 N. Third Street, Suite 250
San Jose, CA 95112

Fresno District Office:
Robert E. Coyle Federal Courthouse
2500 Tulare Street, Suite 2601
Fresno, CA 93721

Los Angeles District Office:
Roybal Federal Building
255 East Temple Street, 4th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90012

San Diego District Office:
555 West Beech Street, Suite 504
San Diego, CA 92101

Oakland District office:
1301 Clay Street
Suite 1170-N
Oakland, CA 94612-5217