Black employees at California environmental agency allege systemic racism at workplace

California’s air-pollution agency, stung by allegations of racism within its ranks, pledged Thursday to establish a “zero-tolerance racism policy” and increase diversity in its staff and leadership.

The California Air Resources Board approved a resolution committing itself to diversity and racial equity after receiving a 13-page letter from Black employees criticizing the agency about a racist workplace culture.

The letter, signed by a group calling itself “Concerned Black Employees at CARB,” said Black employees are often passed over for promotions, being subjected to condescending remarks and suffering other indignities. The employees said they were victims of “system racism and implicit bias” at the agency.

“Black careers and Black goals do not have values,” the letter said. The letter was dated Sept. 4 and its contents were first reported by Politico on Wednesday.

The agency’s executive director, Richard Corey, distributed the letter to the air board’s staff about a week after receiving it.

“There is no doubt the letter eloquently describes a history of poor treatment, lost potential, and deep-seated pain,” Corey wrote in a memo to his staff. “But, when I consider the courage it took to write and submit the letter I have a sense of optimism as AI know that change begins with the ability to openly acknowledge and discuss issues.”

The group’s letter puts one of the most visible agencies in California state government in an uncomfortable spotlight. The air board is an acknowledged worldwide leader in adopting strict regulations on climate change, tailpipe emissions and other issues involving air pollution. Its chairwoman, Mary Nichols, is reportedly being considered for the top job at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency if Democrat Joe Biden is elected president.

The agency also has to grapple with environmental justice — the issue of how pollution affects low-income areas and communities of color. In a memo to the 14-person governing board, the agency’s staff said the air board has to “better understand and address the ways race, and other factors such as gender, have affected climate and air quality risks in California and CARB’s own internal operations.”

Although the agency created a Diversity and Racial Equity Task Force earlier this year, it has no Black members on its 14-person governing board. The employees’ letter said the agency’s 1,627-person staff includes just 73 Black workers, and only nine in executive or management positions.

In the letter, one Black employee described being told “I am extremely well-spoken and articulate for a Black person.” Another said that when it comes to the agency’s hiring practices, “qualified Black candidates are denied opportunities to succeed.”

In the resolution passed Thursday, the agency’s governing board agreed to designate one of its members as a liaison to the recently-created diversity committee. The resolution added that the agency will “identify and dismantle systems that produce inequities or racial bias in recruitment, hiring, promotions, and all other privileges and opportunities afford to CARB’s employees.”

This story was originally published October 23, 2020 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Black employees at California environmental agency allege systemic racism at workplace."