Discrimination: political affiliation: political belief.

(1) Existing law, the Unruh Civil Rights Act, provides that all persons within the jurisdiction of this state are entitled to full and equal accommodations in all business establishments regardless of their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status. This bill would extend the protections of the Unruh Civil Rights Act to persons regardless of political belief or affiliation. The bill would specify that these provisions are declarative of existing law. (2) Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) , protects the right to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination because of specified characteristics and prescribes various employment, labor, and apprenticeship practices, among other things, in this regard. Among the protected characteristics are race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, and military or veteran status. FEHA also makes unlawful various practices connected to obtaining and financing housing accommodations, among other things, if those practices discriminate based on specified characteristics. Existing law creates the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to administer and enforce these provisions. This bill would add political affiliation as a protected characteristic in connection with the above-described employment and housing provisions of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. (3) Existing law prohibits an employer from coercing or influencing its employees to adopt or refrain from adopting any particular course or line of political action or activity. This bill would prohibit an employer from taking an adverse employment action against an employee or applicant for employment based on their political affiliation or lack of political affiliation or their membership or association with a political organization, as specified.