A civil rights or a discrimination complaint is different than requesting a fair hearing. Some people confuse filing a fair hearing with a civil rights complaint or a discrimination complaint.
California county welfare departments may not discriminate against you on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, disability, marital status or age. This means that these agencies must provide the same aid, benefits and services to all individuals and groups, except as authorized by federal or state law or the Governor's executive order.
If you believe that you have been discriminated against, you may take one or all of the following actions:
You may talk with the county welfare department's Civil Rights Coordinator.
State the basis of the discrimination (for example, age, race, sex), the specific allegation (who, what, when) and the resolution you are seeking.
Shasta County's Civil Rights Coordinator:
arpop-schnitzler [at] shastacounty.gov (Renata Pop-Schnitzler), or (530) 225-5660
You have 180 days from the date the alleged discrimination occurred to make a complaint or request an investigation. If the representative fails to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you may request an investigation. The county will investigate the complaint and inform you of the outcome.
You may file a discrimination complaint with CDSS by email, writing or calling:
California Department of Social Services
Civil Rights Bureau (CRB)
744 P Street, M.S. 15-70
Sacramento, CA 95814
Or call collect:
(916) 654-2107
Email address: crb@dss.ca.gov
TDD/TTY Users may call direct: (916) 654-2098 or toll free by calling (888) 741-6241.
You may also file a discrimination complaint with the appropriate federal agency.
If your discrimination complaint involves the Food Stamp Program, write to:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
14th & Independence Avenue SW
Administration Building
Washington D.C. 20250
1-800-344-8477
For all other discrimination complaints relating to any other public assistance programs, write to:
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Office of Civil Rights
50 United Nations Plaza
San Francisco, CA 94102
1-800-368-1019
Sources:
Your Rights Under California Welfare Programs (PUB 13 English) : (PUB 13 Spanish)