As New State Laws Go Into Effect, Civil Rights Department Highlights Resources and Protections for People Across California

January 30, 2025

For Immediate Release


Expands “Civil Rights 101” webinar series to include new special topics aimed at providing a deeper dive into key issues related to state civil rights protections

SACRAMENTO – As new state laws go into effect, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) today highlighted a range of new resources and protections for people across California. Through educational materials, proactive outreach, and ongoing enforcement, CRD remains focused on upholding civil rights and combatting discrimination in California wherever it occurs.

“In 2025, our state continues to lead the charge in the fight for civil rights,” said CRD Director Kevin Kish.“And, through new factsheets and trainings, we’re also working to make sure our state’s residents have the tools they need to stay informed. When you know about your rights, you can help make sure your rights are protected. I encourage everyone to tune in to our new webinars and report discrimination in California whenever and wherever you encounter it.”

Know Your Rights to Defend Your Rights

A key component of meeting CRD’s mission to enforce the state’s robust civil rights laws and reduce discrimination is ensuring Californians have accurate and timely information about their rights and responsibilities. CRD works to support this goal through a range of proactive outreach efforts, including conducting trainings and presentations, publishing and disseminating guides and factsheets, and working directly with community partners to identify and respond to civil rights challenges faced by Californians across the state.

New Resources and Trainings

As part of that work, CRD is expanding its “Civil Rights 101” webinar series to include a new monthly special topics session aimed at providing a deeper dive into key issues related to state civil rights protections. With different themes each month, the special topics series builds on existing webinars that provide a general overview of civil rights related to employment, housing, and disability. In all, CRD will now hold three webinars a month on the first, third, and fourth Wednesdays at 11:00 AM PT. The first special topics webinar will be held on February 12 and focus on protections for people using housing assistance such as Section 8. Many of CRD’s webinars and trainings can also be watched at any time on the department’s YouTube channel.

In addition to the expanded webinar series, CRD continues to update and create informational materials to help people across California better understand their rights under new and existing laws. For instance, the department recently developed in-depth guidance on Californians’ civil rights at businesses and launched a new webpage to help ensure Californians understand their rights during disasters. These new resources are in addition to updates to existing materials — such as general information on employment discrimination, hate violence, and paid family leave — in response to changes to state civil rights protections.

New Civil Rights Laws and Protections for 2025

In 2025, a range of new civil rights laws enforced by or relating to the work of CRD are now in effect. A few key examples include:

  • Hate Littering: Under Assembly Bill 3024, the state civil rights law that prohibits hate violence now expressly protects people from being targeted with hateful materials, like flyers or posters, on their private property with the purpose of terrorizing them.
  • Driver’s License Requirements: Under Senate Bill 1100, it is now unlawful for employers to include a statement in a job posting or application requiring a person to have a driver’s license to apply unless the employer reasonably expects driving to be one of the functions for the position and an alternative form of transportation would not suffice.
  • Protected Work Leave: Under Assembly Bill 2499, enforcement of protected leave related to jury duty, court appearances, and for victims of violence has been transferred to CRD. The law also expands the reasons why victims can take protected leave and ensures victims’ family members are eligible to take such leave to provide support.
  • Combination of Protected Characteristics: Under Senate Bill 1137, California is making clear that state civil rights laws protect people who face discrimination based on a combination of protected characteristics, such as race and gender or religion and national origin.

If you or someone you know has experienced discrimination, CRD may be able to assist you through its complaint process. The department also provides general information and factsheets online about civil rights protections for members of the public.

If you’d like to request an accommodation or assistance in another language to attend CRD’s online trainings or request a speaker to come to your event, please email outreach@calcivilrights.ca.gov.

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The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) is the state agency charged with enforcing California’s civil rights laws. CRD’s mission is to protect the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and state-funded programs and activities, and from hate violence and human trafficking. For more information, visit calcivilrights.ca.gov.


651 Bannon Street, Suite 200
Sacramento, CA 95811
Regional Offices
800-884-1684 (voice), 800-700-2320 (TTY) or
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contact.center@calcivilrights.ca.gov