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. Kevin Kish, a noted civil rights attorney, was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown on December 29, 2014, to be director of California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the largest state civil rights agency in the nation. The position of Director for the DFEH was made vacant following the abrupt resignation of the former director Phyllis W. Cheng. Mission The mission of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (D.F.E.H), is to protect Californian's from employment, housing and public accommodation discrimination, and hate violence. The Department enforces California state laws that prohibit harassment, discrimination, retaliation employment, housing, and public accommodations that provide for pregnancy leave, family, and medical. The D.F.E.H also accepts, investigates, mediates and prosecutes complaints alleging hate violence or threats of hate violence. History In 1959, California passed its first state-wide protections against workplace discrimination and created the Fair Employment Practices Commission to implement them. In 1980, the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) was formed, which consolidated both the 1959 Fair Employment Practices Act and the 1963 Rumford Fair Housing Act, and converted the Fair Employment Practices Commission to a department-level agency, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), to enforce that law. In July 2022, DFEH was renamed the Civil Rights Department to more accurately reflect its powers and duties. Statutes Enforced The CRD enforces the following California civil rights law: Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) (Gov. Code, § 12900 et seq.). Unruh Civil Rights Act (Civ. Code, § 51 et seq.). Ralph Civil Rights Act (Civ. Code, § 51.7). Disabled Persons Act (Civ. Code, § 54 et seq.). The FEHA (Gov. Code, § 12900 et seq.) is one of the leading state civil rights law in the nation. In employment, the FEHA prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of