EEOC Files Subpoena Enforcement Action Against the City and County of San Francisco
Federal agency seeks court order compelling municipality to produce information related to a charge of DEI-related discrimination
SAN FRANCISCO / September 8, 2026 — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today the filing of a federal court action to enforce an administrative subpoena issued against the City and County of San Francisco.
The EEOC issued the subpoena as part of its investigation into a charge of discrimination alleging race and sex discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including a former employee’s claims of disparate treatment and constructive discharge.
As part of the investigation, the EEOC requested information about employee attendance at mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) trainings, which the former employee alleged were discriminatory, as well as certain information about complaints related to the trainings and the trainer who conducted them. After the City and County of San Francisco failed to provide information requested by the subpoena, the EEOC filed a subpoena enforcement action (EEOC v. the City and County of San Francisco, Case No. 3:26-mc-80280) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The action seeks a court order compelling the company to comply with the EEOC’s subpoena so the agency can complete its investigation.
“Title VII grants the EEOC broad authority to obtain information necessary to determine whether an employer’s practices violate antidiscrimination statutes,” said Chris Green, director of the EEOC’s San Francisco District. “When an employer refuses to provide information central to that inquiry, the EEOC will use all tools available to obtain that evidence, including subpoenas.”
For more information on DEI-related discrimination, please visit: https://www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-you-should-know-about-dei-related-discrimination-work.
The EEOC’s San Francisco District Office has jurisdiction over Northern California, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana.
The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.
Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC.gov)
