California Governor Signs Historic Law Promoting Equal Employment Opportunity for Sikhs

September 11, 2012 (Fremont, California) - Marking a historic win for civil rights last Saturday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed AB1964 into law. Proposed, drafted, and sponsored by the Sikh Coalition, the new law provides workers in California the nation's strongest protections against religious discrimination.

Introduced earlier this year by California State Assembly Member Mariko Yamada (Davis), AB1964 surpasses federal law by prohibiting workplace segregation and strengthening the legal standard for determining the feasibility of religious accommodations. Like similar laws in Oregon and New York, AB1964 clarifies that employers in California can reject a religious accommodation only by providing objective evidence that it would impose a “significant difficulty or expense” on the employer.

"We are grateful to the California Sikh community for supporting AB1964 and protecting the rights of their fellow citizens," said Simran Kaur, Advocacy Manager for the Sikh Coalition. "This historic legislation will close discriminatory loopholes, guarantee equal employment opportunity to all Californians, and hopefully serve as a model for similar laws throughout the nation. What people do for a living is a source of dignity, and in 21st century America, no person qualified to do their job should have to choose between religious freedom and their livelihood.”

Although Sikhs have lived in California for more than a century, Sikh Californians suffer high levels of employment discrimination because of their Sikh articles of faith, which include a turban, beard, and unshorn hair. According to a research report issued by the Sikh Coalition in 2010, approximately 12% of Sikhs in the San Francisco Bay Area reported suffering discrimination in employment. Law enforcement agencies in California have rejected requests to hire Sikh police officers, despite decisions by the United States Army, Federal Protective Service, and Washington DC Metropolitan Police to allow Sikhs to serve in uniform, in full compliance with health and safety requirements, without sacrificing their articles of faith.

“AB1964 strikes a fair balance by upholding the principle of equal employment opportunity,” according to Simran Kaur.

Photos from the event:


Satinder Singh Malhi, in the background, was instrumental in building support for AB1964 and SB1540 in the California legislature.		Attorney Amar Shergill, who was instrumental in building support for AB1964 and SB1540. Mr. Shergill testified in support of AB1964 before the Assembly Appropriations Committee.


AB1964 and SB1540 signed into law.		Governor Brown signing AB1964 and SB1540.


California Assembly Member Mariko Yamada, author of AB1964, the Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012.		California Governor Jerry Brown


Governor Brown with Dr. Onkar Singh Bindra, whose tireless efforts led to the passage of SB1540.		California Assembly Staffer Ian Blair; Assembly Member Mariko Yamada; Alan Reinach and Dennis Seaton from the Church State Council; and Simran Kaur from the Sikh Coalition -- all of whom worked together for over six months, in collaboration with other organizational and community partners, to get AB1964 over the finish line.


SEVA Group at the signing ceremony.		Sikh Coalition Advocacy Manager Simran Kaur speaking to a reporter at the signing ceremony. Watch News report: https://youtu.be/pjePCLQMe8U


Governor Brown after signing the bills.		Folder containing bills AB1964 and SB1540. The latter lays the foundation for inclusion of Sikhs in California school curricula.