By Yating Campbell, Commission on the Status of Women and Girls
(SACRAMENTO, CA) – The Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG)’s co-sponsored legislation, SB 642 (Limόn) Pay Equity Enforcement Act, has been signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. CCSWG co-sponsored SB 642 along with the California Employment Lawyers Association and Equal Rights Advocates.
“SB 642 signifies an important victory in advancing gender equity in the workplace on the 10-year anniversary of the California Fair Pay Act, while also recognizing that there is still much to be done to achieve true progress,” said Chair of CCSWG Dr. Rita Gallardo Good. “We thank Governor Newsom and Commissioner Limόn for their leadership and continued commitment to California’s women and girls.”
SB 642 revises outdated gender binary language, allows workers to recover for up to six years of lost pay, harmonizes the statute of limitations with other wage and anti-discrimination statutes, and limits how wide pay ranges may be in public job postings
“With many families continuing to stretch to make ends meet, we reinforce our commitment to equal pay laws that strengthen the economic security of California families and communities,” said Senator Monique Limón. “On Latina Equal Pay Day, I am incredibly proud that Governor Newsom is building upon our pay equity legacy here in California. The Pay Equity Enforcement Act will help narrow the wage gap by providing workers with more negotiation power at the start of their career, while also strengthening workers’ rights to recover lost wages – this is a win for workers and an even bigger win for California families.”
“As a proud co-sponsor of SB 642, we thank Governor Newsom for his signature of SB 642, which will advance pay and gender equity in the state of California for millions of women and girls,” said CCSWG Executive Director Darcy Totten, “SB 642 addresses several critical pay transparency gaps and revising references to gender to be more inclusive and reflective of California’s values. We also thank the author, Senator and Commissioner Limón, for her relentless support of women’s rights and protections in the workplace.”
Research demonstrates that women continue to make 79 cents for every dollar made by their male counterparts. Women of color are shown to be even more severely and disproportionately impacted. Studies also show that, on average, women nationwide lose a combined total of almost $1.7 trillion every year due to the wage gap, impacting the ability to afford basic needs like housing, food, childcare, and preventing women from building long-term financial security. SB 642 remedies these obstacles by enabling women to build long-term economic security and wealth. The provisions of the bill will go into effect January 1, 2026.
“The gender wage gap costs California women billions in lost wages each year—money that could otherwise go toward rent, groceries, childcare, and other essentials that families depend on,” said Jessica Ramey Stender, Policy Director & Deputy Legal Director of Equal Rights Advocates. “SB 642 ensures California remains at the forefront of advancing pay equity. Ensuring women and all workers are paid fairly is not only critical for their financial stability, but also for the economic security and well-being of families across the state.”
“One of the biggest barriers to advancing pay equity is that workers often don’t know that they are being paid unfairly until it is too late,” said Mariko Yoshihara, Policy Director for the California Employment Lawyers Association. “We applaud Governor Newsom for signing SB 642, which will comprehensively strengthen our equal pay laws and extend the ability to recover lost wages due to pay discrimination.”
For more than 50 years, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls has identified and worked to eliminate inequities in state laws, practices, and conditions that affect California’s women and girls. Established as a state agency with 17 appointed commissioners in 1965, the Commission regularly assesses gender equity in health, safety, employment, education, and equal representation in the military, and the media. The Commission provides leadership through research, policy and program development, education, outreach and collaboration, advocacy, and strategic partnerships. Learn more at www.women.ca.gov.
By Karla Davis, Vice President of Communications and Marketing, California’s Credit Unions
Ontario, CA (Oct. 9, 2025):California’s Credit Unions today announced a broad package of financial relief options for employees of the federal government impacted by the government shutdown.
Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperative financial institutions that offer services like checking and savings accounts, auto loans, debit and credit cards, low-cost or free financial counseling, and much more.
How Federal Employees Can Get Help Today
According to Congressional Research Services, over 155,000 federal employees work in California. This does not include the thousands of employees who work for federal contractors and may also be impacted.
Loan Relief: Loan payment deferrals and temporary hardship modifications.
Emergency Assistance: Short-term, low- or no-interest loans to cover essential expenses.
Fee Waivers: Waiving late fees, overdraft fees, and penalties.
Financial Counseling: Access to financial wellness counselors to provide budgeting and debt management guidance.
Online Resources: Tools and information on our website to help with everyday expenses such as food, utilities, housing and healthcare.
“Credit unions are financial institutions focused on their mission of ‘people helping people.’ This includes times of need and emergencies, such as the government shutdown,” said Stephanie Cuevas, Senior Vice President of Federal Advocacy for California’s Credit Unions. “Credit unions are moving quickly to offer support to federal workers — from TSA agents to air traffic controllers, service members, and more. The goal is to support families during these times of uncertainty while the shutdown is resolved in Washington, D.C.”
Contact, Ask, and Explore
Federal employees can get help today by:
Contacting a credit union. Those reaching out should mention shutdown-related assistance. You can find a local credit union here.
Asking about eligibility. Every credit union has its own unique method to serving the community. Be sure to ask about how you can receive support.
Exploring options. The credit union will want to tailor financial solutions to your needs and circumstances.
California’s Credit Unions
Headquartered in Ontario, CA, California’s Credit Unions exists to help credit unions change people’s lives by supporting their operations, guidance, strategy, and philosophy. Our trade association helps local credit unions in California serve more than 14.4 million members. Credit unions are for people, not profit.
Work for the Post Office and earn up to $35.95/hour
OAKLAND, CA — The U.S. Postal Service is hosting a free hiring event to help future employees create their online profile and immediately start applying for jobs in Maintenance.
As part our innovative 10-year-plan, Delivering for America, the Postal Service is focused on building a more stable and empowered workforce. Our employees are our greatest asset, and we are investing in our new employees by providing robust training and on-the-job support.
The Postal Service is a great place to work, with job security, career advancement opportunities and benefits. The Postal Service has an immediate need for the following positions to be filled:
Applicants must be 18 years or older. All applicants must be able to pass drug screening and a criminal background investigation. Some positions require an exam. Any position that has a driving requirement will also require a valid driver license and clean DMV two-year driving history. Citizenship or permanent resident status is required.
The Postal Service is an equal opportunity employer offering a fast-pace, rewarding work environment with competitive compensation packages, on-the-job training, and opportunities for advancement. Learn more at: Careers – About.usps.com.
Angel G. Luévano. Photo by Luis Nuno Briones. Source: Todos Unidos
Luévano Consent Decree determined in 1981 written civil service test unfair to Black and Hispanic applicants
“Today, the Justice Department removed that barrier and reopened federal employment opportunities based on merit—not race.” – U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon on Aug. 1, 2025.
“The Decree has had its usefulness and a tremendous effect on the country. Millions of minorities and women hold jobs because of that class action lawsuit. It wasn’t DEI. It didn’t just benefit minorities and women. The (alternative) Outstanding Scholar Program…was actually used 70% by whites.” – Angel Luévano
By Allen D. Payton
On Friday, August 1, 2025, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon announced that the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) had ended a 44-year-old decree mandating race-based government hiring. It’s named for Antioch resident Angel G. Luévano, who, with a group of attorneys in 1979, brought a class action lawsuit on behalf of African Americans and Hispanics over the Professional and Administrative Career Examination (PACE). They claimed disparate impact against them based on their test results violated Title VII’s equal employment opportunity provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Dhillon claimed the decree “imposed draconian test review and implementation procedures” on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
The 1979 Luévano v. Campbell lawsuit, against the then and first Director of the Officer of Personnel Management, Alan Campbell, resulted in a settlement during the final days of President Jimmy Carter’s Administration, just prior to President Ronald Reagan’s inauguration, eliminating use of the PACE test. According to court documents filed in March 2025 by the USDOJ, “on January 9, 1981, after two years of litigation, Plaintiffs and OPM jointly moved for ‘an order granting preliminary approval to a Consent Decree.’ Luevano, 93 F.R.D. at 72. The parties signed the Decree eleven days prior to the change in administration, and the Court accepted the Decree on February 26, 1981.”
In addition, according to the Civil Rights Litigation Clearing House Case Summary, in the Decree the “federal government in part agreed to…establish two special hiring programs, Outstanding Scholar and Bilingual/Bicultural.”
The lawsuit title was later changed to Luevanov. Ezell, named for Charles Ezell, the current Acting OPM Director. This year’s court filing reads, “Federal law requires many federal jobs be filled based on merit alone. Beginning in 1974, OPM employed a test to do just that. The Professional and Administrative Career Examination (‘PACE’) was a challenging, written examination that measured cognitive and other skills. It quickly proved an effective way of predicting future job performance, thereby increasing the efficiency and capability of the federal workforce. But it did not last long.”
In a Aug. 1 post on Dhillon’s official X (formerly Twitter) account she wrote, “Another federal government DEI program bites the dust! Today, the @CivilRights Division ended a 44-year-old decree that bound the federal government to use DEI in its hiring practices” and shared the news release from the USDOJ announcing the end to the decree:
“Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division ended a court-imposed decree initiated by the Carter administration, which limited the hiring practices of the federal government based on flawed and outdated theories of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In Luevano v. Ezell, the Court dismissed a consent decree based on a lawsuit initially brought by interest groups representing federal employees in 1979. The decree entered in 1981 imposed draconian test review and implementation procedures on the Office of Personnel Management—and consequently all other federal agencies—requiring them to receive permission prior to using any tests for potential federal employees, in an attempt to require equal testing outcomes among all races of test-takers.
“For over four decades, this decree has hampered the federal government from hiring the top talent of our nation,” said Dhillon. “Today, the Justice Department removed that barrier and reopened federal employment opportunities based on merit—not race.”
“It’s simple, competence and merit are the standards by which we should all be judged; nothing more and nothing less,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia. “It’s about time people are judged, not by their identity, but instead ‘by the content of their character.’”
Luévano Responds
In response to the decree’s dismissal, Luévano said, “I agreed to vacate the Decree through the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) because I don’t want to make bad law. There are two interveners on the other side that wanted to broaden the attack.”
Asked when he agreed to it, he said, “Last week. Attorneys for both sides met with the judge last Thursday to resolve the matter.”
“The Decree has had its usefulness and a tremendous effect on the country,” Luévano continued. “Millions of minorities and women hold jobs because of that class action lawsuit. The Decree affected 118 job classifications in federal hiring nationwide.”
“I’m extremely proud of the effect that it has had on federal hires and getting minorities and women into federal jobs,” he stated. “It affected my decision to join, it was the key for me to join federal civil rights compliance in the Labor Department.”
Asked why he was the lead plaintiff he said, “I took the PACE exam because I wanted to get into a federal job. I achieved an 80 on the test – a passing grade, even though it’s been reported I flunked the exam. That’s not true. The result was I did not get referred to federal openings. They were only referring people with a 100 on their tests to jobs.”
“I learned about the case through the Legal Aid Society which had brought many cases in the construction industry. Our unit was successful in getting the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to be effective. I went to them and said, ‘that happened to me’ in the Office of Personnel Management. That’s the lead HR department in the federal government. They’re the gatekeepers to federal employment.”
“I asked them, is there something we can do about this. They said, ‘funny you should ask. We are looking for someone to do something about this’ and we began working on the lawsuit,” he shared.
“One of the things I was able to achieve was alternatives to merit selection in federal employment, the Outstanding Scholar and Bilingual/Bicultural programs that each agency implemented,” Luévano stated.
“I gave up back pay and also the class, to get them to agree to the decree,” he continued. “When you win a case, you usually get a settlement. But I was the one who gave up back pay for myself and for the class to get those two remedies. That was really big. That is huge. Who gets alternatives to merit-based hiring at the national level? They used it to bring in minorities and women.”
“It wasn’t DEI. It didn’t just benefit minorities and women. The Outstanding Scholar Program as an alternative to discriminatory merit-based hiring was actually used 70% by whites,” he stated. “But that’s OK. I wanted to crack the discriminatory employment barriers to federal hiring.”
“When I was in D.C. I met with the second in command at the OPM, while we were in Puerto Rico. He said, ‘Angel, you know it’s not what you know. It’s who you know. I said to him, ‘I know you!’ He replied, ‘But I don’t have any power.’ I’ve learned that every where I’ve gone. As you go up the ladder it gets narrower and narrower and harder and harder.”
“We used the impact theory to prove there was discrimination. There are only two theories, that one and disparate treatment,” Luevano explained.
“I negotiated through my lawyers,” he continued. “We had a lot of attorneys. They included the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights out of D.C., MALDEF, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund, NOW, and the Legal Aid Society of Alameda County where I worked out of Oakland as a senior law clerk in the impact litigation unit.”
He started as a summer management intern with the General Services Administration as a GS-5 employee in 1972 while in law school. Then he went to work for the Department of Defense compliance division in Burlingame.
They merged all the compliance divisions under the Labor Department.
“They leaped me from a GS-9 to a 12,” he stated. “So, I skipped 10 and 11. I met all of the qualifications.”
He ultimately rose to the level of a GS-15 as Deputy Director of Program Operations for the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
“I was number four in the agency nationwide and retired after 30 years in government,” Luevano shared. “That happened to a guy who wouldn’t have even gotten into a federal job because of PACE. Yet, I was qualified, I earned it and I moved up.”
“I had a great career. I helped write the regulations on how to detect employment system discrimination and I trained the trainers nationwide,” he continued. “That was because of my law background. I went to Hastings for four years. Even though I don’t have the degree, I have the equivalent of a Master’s in Law.”
About the timing for the lawsuit settlement Luévano shared, “Our lawyers showed up. Their lawyers showed up, the attorneys for the outgoing Carter Administration. The attorneys for the Reagan Administration showed up and wanted to put a stop to the resolution of the Consent Decree. The judge said, ‘No, you’re not in power, yet.’”
“We were all happy, we signed the Decree and made history,” he stated. “I’m humbled by this tremendous achievement.”
Luévano was recognized for his efforts at one of the conferences of LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens, in which he later rose to the level of California State Director and V.P for the Far West. Image de California gave him an award during one of their conferences at which he spoke about the Consent Decree.
“If we hadn’t accomplished that we’d still be back in the dark ages of discrimination,” Luévano stated.
“I’m actually writing a book, a memoir about it,” he added. “I’m working with Harvard on that.”
He and his wife Argentina have been involved in the Antioch community with the Kiwanis Club of the Delta-Antioch, where he was president last year and Argentina is currently secretary. They both also served as Lt. Governors for the organization in Division 26, Area 9 in Northern California. Then Angel was elected as Trustee for the entire Division which includes California, Nevada and Hawaii.
In addition, since May 2004, Angel has also served as Executive Director for Todos Unidos, an Antioch-based non-profit organization established to raise the educational, economic, health and social outcomes of underserved communities along the Suisun Bay and the greater San Joaquin Delta area.
This community event is focused on reentry employment and support services. Job seekers will have the chance to connect with fair chance employers, explore career programs, and tap into local resources.
March 1st Virtual Job Fair highlights opportunities
By Jen Vanya, Public Information Specialist | Public Affairs, East Bay Regional Park District
The East Bay Regional Park District is a major employer of students in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, staffing approximately 300 seasonal positions annually. There are many employment options available for the 2025 summer season at East Bay Regional Parks.
Virtual Youth Job Fair: Saturday, Mar. 1 The East Bay Regional Park District has a wide variety of opportunities for youth, young adults, and students. The Virtual Youth Job Fair is designed for applicants ages 15–24, although the minimum age requirement for most jobs is 16 years old. Resume and interview tips provided. Pre-registration highly recommended. Virtual Youth Job Fair via Zoom Saturday, Mar. 1, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. More information and a Zoom registration link can be found at www.ebparks.org/jobs/youth.
Youth and Seasonal Jobs The East Bay Regional Park District is now accepting applications for summer and seasonal jobs. Spend summer in the great outdoors, build leadership skills in a team environment, and create lasting memories while gaining valuable work experience in the East Bay community. Positions include:
Public Safety Student Aide Visit the Park District jobs webpage for more information: www.ebparks.org/jobs
The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and over 1,330 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and environmental education. The Park District receives an estimated 30 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.
ANTIOCH – The Board of Director of the Contra Costa Event Park, Home of the Contra Costa County Fair announce their search for a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Current CEO Joe Brengle announced that he would be retiring at the end of June 2025.
Under the Board’s guidance, the CEO plans, executes and manages the annual Contra Costa County Fair. In addition to the Annual Fair, the CEO leads the planning, organization, recruitment, and management of the Contra Costa Event Parks facility rental program (Interim Events), along with negotiating and facilitating long term rental agreements.
Current CEO Joe Brengle with a character during the 2024 Contra Costa County Fair. Photo: CC Event Park
The Monthly Salary Range for the position is $8,630 – $10,567. The salary will be based on the successful candidate’s qualifications with CalHR approval. An example of additional benefits include: State of California, Public Employment Retirement System (PERS), Vacation & Sick Leave, Health Plan, Dental Plan, Vision Plan and State Holidays.
A full description of the position and application process is available on the Fairs website CEO-Flyer.pdf, or can be picked up at the Fair Administration Office, 1201 W. 10th Street, Antioch.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Friday, Nov. 2, 2024, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after the Department of Commerce announced that the CHIPS for America Design and Collaboration Facility (DCF), the official headquarters of the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), will be established in California. Earlier this year, Padilla led the entire California Democratic delegation in urging Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to establish the NSTC headquarters in California.
The DCF in Sunnyvale, California, will be a colocation of the NSTC headquarters and the flagship design hub from where all NSTC R&D work will be coordinated. The headquarters will serve as a site to host NSTC member and semiconductor ecosystem convenings, NSTC programmatic activities, the Workforce Center of Excellence, the future investment fund, and more. The national design facility will include the NSTC Design Enablement Gateway and an institution for design research focused on chip design, electronic design automation, hardware security, and chip system architecture.
“California is the clear choice to lead NSTC’s semiconductor innovation and R&D. Our state has built a world-class innovation economy and has been at the forefront of the semiconductor industry for decades. We are uniquely positioned to leverage our R&D, manufacturing capacity, and end-users to drive this industry forward.
“Establishing the NSTC headquarters in California will capitalize on our state’s unparalleled assets to grow a highly skilled workforce and develop next-generation advancements. I am confident that this CHIPS Act funding will propel emerging technologies and protect America’s global semiconductor leadership, all while bringing good-paying jobs to our state.”
Santa Clara County alone holds 20 percent of all semiconductor utility patents granted in the last decade, and California is home to more semiconductor R&D, design, intellectual property (IP), and electronic design automation (EDA) firms than Texas, New York, and Oregon combined – with over 175 companies operating out of Silicon Valley. The design facility is one of three planned major NSTC centers. The Department of Commerce recently announced the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Accelerator in New York, and said a Prototyping and NAPMP Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility is still forthcoming.
In April, Padilla, Senator Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18), and Representative Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-07) led the entire California Democratic delegation in urging Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to establish the NSTC headquarters in California. The letter came after Padilla and Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statement rebuking the CHIPS Program Office’s (CPO) cancellation of the third CHIPS Act Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for advanced commercial research and development facilities in the United States.
In 2022, Senator Padilla and Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) sent a letter urging Senate leadership to support provisions in the final version of the United States Innovation and Competition Act that would require semiconductor companies receiving federal assistance for research, design, and manufacturing to invest in a more diverse workforce and improve procurement from minority-, veteran-, and women-owned businesses. Padilla and Warnock applauded the passage of one of these provisions through the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act later that year.
