Cal State system targeted for antisemitism probe by the Trump administration

The California State University system is now under investigation by the Trump administration over allegations of antisemitism.

The probe by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was revealed in an email sent by chancellor Mildred Garcia to the Cal State community on Friday. The Los Angeles Times first reported on the email.

"[T]he EEOC has begun direct outreach to some faculty and staff members across the system to review allegations of antisemitism and to speak with them about their experiences on campus," the email reads.

Garcia went on to state that Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has alleged that the Cal State system, among other universities across the nation, of "racial discrimination" over their links to a private nonprofit called PhD Project, an organization with the "goal of diversifying business education and the corporate workforce."

Cal State University has confirmed the EEOC probe and the Department of Education claims.

An EEOC spokesperson told LAist, "Under federal law, charges filed with the EEOC are confidential. The EEOC can neither confirm nor deny the existence of any charge."

Cal State L.A. subpoenaed

Separately, Cal State Los Angeles was subpoenaed by EEOC to turn over the personal phone numbers and email addresses of all employees.

CFA Crew, an unofficial unit of the union representing Cal State faculty, posted an email sent out about the Cal State L.A. subpoena to their social media.

"The university is legally required to respond to this federal subpoena," the email reads. "The university is committed to handling your information responsibly and will only release what is specifically required by the EEOC. This request does not mean that you, individually, are the subject of an investigation."

Cal State L.A. confirmed to LAist about the subpoena.

The Cal State L.A. campus was the site of a pro-Palestinian encampment in the spring of 2024, during a wave of protests over the war in Gaza.

"The subpoena raises serious concerns about our members privacy," said the California Faculty Association in a statement posted on its social media.

The union, which represents some 29,000 faculty members, has asked CSU to not comply with the subpoena until it can review its content.

The Cal State investigation comes on the heels of similar probes targeting the UC system, USC, and other higher education institutions in the state.