Were you discriminated against at work in Long Beach?
Being treated worse because of who you are, in pay, promotion, discipline, scheduling or termination, may be unlawful. Retaliation after you objected or reported it may be unlawful too.
If your workplace rights were violated, you may be able to pursue compensation for lost pay or emotional harm, and hold your employer accountable.
Not sure whether it was "serious enough"? You can request a review even if you never reported it to HR or are still employed.
What discrimination actually looks like, and what the law calls it.
Discrimination is rarely a single dramatic act. It's the pattern, the 'jokes,' the passed-over promotion, the accommodation that never comes, the sudden performance problem after you spoke up. The legal test is whether a protected trait drove how you were treated.
The 'nicknames' are slurs. Everyone laughs, so I'm supposed to laugh too.
The law calls it → racial or national-origin harassment
- Since I started wearing a hijab, I'm suddenly 'not a culture fit' for client meetings. The law calls it → religious discrimination
- They call me 'grandpa' in standups and gave the project I built to someone half my age. The law calls it → age-based harassment and discrimination (40+)
- I asked for a simple schedule change for my disability. Months later, still nothing, and now I'm 'unreliable.' The law calls it → failure to accommodate a disability
- I reported the slurs to HR. Two weeks later my performance was suddenly a problem. The law calls it → retaliation, illegal even if the original complaint isn't proven, as long as it was made in good faith
- After I asked for a lifting restriction from my doctor, the warehouse suddenly had 'no light-duty' and cut my shifts. The law calls it → disability discrimination / failure to accommodate
These cover race and national origin, disability (and accommodations), age (40 and over), religion (and accommodations), sex and pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity, in any industry. If something here is familiar, you don't have to be sure before you ask.
Illustrative situations, not client accounts.
If a Long Beach employer treated you worse because of race, disability, age, national origin, religion, sex, or LGBTQ+ status, that violates California's FEHA. Discrimination claims require an employer with five or more workers, while harassment is covered at any size. The Civil Rights Department gives you three years to file, and FEHA sets no cap on damages.
What could taking action help you pursue?
Depending on the facts, legal action may help recover financial losses, address emotional harm, restore employment opportunities, or require workplace changes. Available remedies depend on the facts and applicable law; no outcome is guaranteed.
Recover what you lost
Lost pay, benefits, hours, and employment opportunities tied to the unlawful conduct.
Address the harm
Compensation for emotional distress may be available where the law provides for it.
Restore an opportunity
Some cases may involve reinstatement, promotion, corrected records, or another job-related remedy.
Create accountability
A resolution may include policy changes, training, or other corrective workplace action.
You do not need a perfect record, or even to know whether what happened was illegal, before asking what your options are.
Common concerns we hear from employees
I never reported it to HR.
You may still have legal options. Not reporting immediately does not automatically end your rights, although the specific facts can affect a claim.
I don't have screenshots or witnesses.
You do not need a complete evidence file before contacting us. We can help identify texts, emails, schedules, witnesses, and other evidence that may matter.
I still work there.
You can ask questions while still employed. Retaliating against a worker for opposing unlawful conduct or asserting protected rights may itself be unlawful.
It was a customer or client, not a coworker.
In some circumstances, an employer may be responsible for the conduct of supervisors, coworkers, customers, clients, or other third parties.
Craig J. Ackermann
Shareholder · Admitted in California
Craig Ackermann represents California employees in wage-and-hour class actions, sexual and racial harassment, discrimination, and retaliation matters. He is licensed in California, Washington, and Texas.
Read Craig's full bio →Real verdicts and recoveries in harassment and discrimination cases.
$15 million
1 plaintiff · Gender pay & promotion discrimination, jury verdict (punitive damages under federal + Oregon law)
Jury verdict, subject to post-trial proceedings. Not a settlement or a collected recovery.
$1.3 million
19 Black construction workers · Racial harassment (hostile work environment)
$1 million
27 Black construction workers · Racial harassment (hostile work environment)
$725,000
14 individuals · Racial harassment (14 individual arbitrations)
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
What happens after you reach out?
You don't need documents, a lawyer-ready story, or even certainty that what happened was illegal.
- 01
Talk with us
A short initial conversation about what happened and when.
- 02
We assess the record
We identify possible claims, deadlines and evidence that may matter.
- 03
If we take the case
We handle the filing strategy, negotiations and litigation.
Deadlines can depend on where and how you file
California and federal claims may follow different filing routes. These are general time limits, not sequential steps.
Generally, to file an employment-discrimination or harassment complaint with California's Civil Rights Department.
CRD, Employment ↗Often, to file an EEOC charge when the claim is also covered by state or local anti-discrimination law.
EEOC, How to File a Charge ↗Generally, to file a lawsuit after receiving a California CRD right-to-sue notice.
CRD, Obtain a Right to Sue ↗Other claims and exceptions may have different or shorter deadlines. Contact counsel promptly so the applicable dates can be reviewed.
Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)
Cal. Gov. Code § 12940 et seq.
Primary source, Cal. Gov. Code § 12940 et seq. ↗Share what happened in about two minutes. The firm will review your submission and contact you about possible options and next steps. There is no cost or obligation to request a review.
Deadlines and filing issues for workers in Long Beach.
- The 3-year CRD window doesn't slow the 300-day federal EEOC clock, if a federal claim is in play, the shorter deadline wins.
- Once the CRD issues your right-to-sue notice, a strict one-year clock to reach Long Beach civil court begins.
- Discrimination claims need 5+ employees under FEHA, though any harassment woven into your case can be covered at any size, two separate doors.
- For port and warehouse workers hired through staffing agencies, the deadline runs from the discriminatory act, not the end of the assignment.
Where do you file a workplace discrimination claim in Long Beach?
California Civil Rights Department
Filing is CENTRALIZED statewide: online via California Civil Rights System (CCRS), phone 800-884-1684, 711 relay, TTY 1-800-700-2320, email contact.center@calcivilrights.ca.gov, or mail to HQ. CRD HQ/mailing is 651 Bannon Street, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95811.
File online →EEOC Los Angeles District Office
There is no EEOC office in Long Beach, the city is in Los Angeles County and served by the Los Angeles District Office downtown. Most workers file online via the EEOC Public Portal.
Roybal Federal Building, 255 East Temple St., 4th FloorLos Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 785-3090 EEOC Public Portal →
Los Angeles County Superior Court
Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse275 Magnolia Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90802
The filing path, step by step
- 1Document the pattern, pay stubs, schedules, accommodation requests, and who got promoted over you. Long Beach's high-turnover industries bury records quickly.
- 2File with the California Civil Rights Department within 3 years, online via the CCRS portal or by phone (800-884-1684). Filing is centralized statewide.
- 3Or file with the EEOC within 300 days, the Los Angeles District Office covers Long Beach, and most workers use the online Public Portal.
- 4After a CRD right-to-sue notice you have 1 year to sue, state claims at the Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach, federal claims in the Central District of California.
Employment discrimination information in other California cities
- FresnoEmployment-discrimination information
- Los AngelesEmployment-discrimination information
- Orange CountyEmployment-discrimination information
- RiversideEmployment-discrimination information
- SacramentoEmployment-discrimination information
- San BernardinoEmployment-discrimination information
Asked by Long Beach workers.
I was passed over for a promotion at the port and a less-senior man got it, is that discrimination?
It can be. FEHA bars sex discrimination in promotions at employers with five or more workers, and male-dominated maritime and logistics workplaces are a recognized risk setting. Keep the job postings, your reviews, and the timeline. You have three years to file with the CRD, and state-law damages are not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule.
I'm mocked for my accent at a Long Beach warehouse and skipped for the better routes, is that illegal?
Likely. FEHA prohibits national-origin harassment at any employer size and discrimination at five or more, including accent mockery and English-only rules without business necessity. The harbor's logistics workforce runs heavily on immigrant labor. File with the CRD within three years; state-law damages are not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule.
I asked my Long Beach hospital for a disability accommodation and got nowhere, what now?
Under FEHA, an employer with five or more workers must run a good-faith interactive process and provide a reasonable accommodation, a wider duty than the federal ADA. Harassment tied to a disability is covered at any size. The CRD deadline is three years, and damages carry no cap.
At 55 I was 'restructured' out of an aerospace job while younger workers stayed, age discrimination?
Possibly. FEHA shields workers age 40 and up, and a 'restructuring' that lands on older employees while juniors are kept can be evidence. Long Beach's legacy aerospace employers are not exempt. You have three years to file with the CRD, with no cap on damages and attorney's fees.