Sweeping Civil Rights Lawsuit Alleges Racial Bias In Implementation Of California Climate Policies

Top civil rights leaders are suing the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in Superior Court for climate policies they say disproportionately harm the state's poorest residents—particularly Latinos and African Americans.

The suit claims CARB is in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act, the California Global Warming and Solutions Act, the California Clean Air Act, and other federal and state laws.

The attorney for the lawsuit is Holland & Knight Partner Jennifer Hernandez, who is also on the leadership council of California Community Builders' The Two Hundred coalition and is a leading scholar of the impact of the state’s environmental laws on the housing crisis.

"Time after time California imposes new costs and restrictions on home-building which make housing even more expensive, which harms working families and minority communities the most," Ms. Hernandez told Forbes. "It's unconscionable."

READ: Sweeping Civil Rights Lawsuit Alleges Racial Bias In Implementation Of California Climate Policies