Civil Rights Department

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD), formerly known as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), is an agency of California state government charged with the protection of residents from employment, housing and public accommodation discrimination, and hate violence. It is the largest state civil rights agency in the United States. It also provides representation to the victims of hate crimes. CRD has a director who is appointed by the governor of California and maintains a total of five offices and five educational clinics throughout the state. Today, it is considered part of the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency. When the California Housing and Homelessness Agency is formed in 2026, the CRD will be transferred to it.