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New California laws aimed at banning religious bias

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California Gov. Edmund G. Brown has signed a bill banning religious discrimination in the workplace.

The Workplace Religious Freedom Act, A.B. 1964 sponsored by Assembly Member Mariko Yamada, D-Davis, strengthens existing law by clarifying that wearing religious clothing or a religious hairstyle as a belief or observance is covered by protections under the state's Fair Employment and Housing Act.

The bill that Gov. Brown signed into law on Saturday and that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2013, also prohibits employers from segregating employees from customers and the public when accommodating religious beliefs and practices.

“This bill is dedicated to all those who have suffered the indignities of ignorance and discrimination in the workplace because of the tenets of their faith,” Ms. Yamada said in a statement. “No longer will it be legal to segregate a worker from public view because their appearance did not fit a corporate image.”

Changing demographics in the state of California have resulted in an increase of workplace religious discrimination cases, particularly in the Sikh and Muslim communities, according to the statement.

Gov. Brown on Saturday also signed S.B. 1540 sponsored by Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, that requires California's Board of Education to consider adopting a revised curriculum for instructional materials in history and social sciences, with a focus on Sikhs and Korean Americans, among others.

A mass shooting on Aug. 5 at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., left six people dead and four wounded.

“Sikh Americans are loyal citizens who have been targeted because of widespread ignorance of their religion and culture,” Gov. Brown said in a statement. “The bills I sign today aim to ensure that Californians learn about our Sikh citizens as well as protect all of us from job discrimination based on religious observances.”

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