City Of LA Issues First Citation Under 2019 Civil Rights Law

The city of Los Angeles has fined the Smart & Final grocery store chain $10,000 for allegedly violating the civil rights of a Black man at the chain’s downtown L.A. store.

It's the first enforcement action under the city’s 2019 Civil and Human Rights Ordinance, according to an announcement Monday.

“The significance of this case is to send a message that hate and discrimination won’t be tolerated in Los Angeles and folks will be held accountable,” said Capri Maddox, executive director of the L.A. Civil Rights Department, which issued the fines.

At a Monday morning news conference, Corey Brown said he was told in September 2022 by security personnel at the Smart & Final store on South Figueroa Street, near West 8th Place, that he had to leave his backpack at the front of the store before shopping.

Brown said he instead left, dropped off his bag at home, then returned to the store.

“I saw other patrons — non-African American patrons who were permitted to keep their bags and backpacks while shopping,” Brown said at City Hall. “All I wanted to do is to get groceries, but I was treated differently than other patrons in the store, all because of the color of my skin.”

The Civil Rights Department said in a statement that its investigators found “a ‘bag policy’ at the specific Smart & Final location, which was discriminatorily enforced based on customers’ appearances.”

Smart & Final issued a statement Monday afternoon saying it had “only just received information from the City regarding these claims, which involve a former third-party security guard.”

The statement continued: “We take these allegations very seriously and are actively investigating the matter. Discrimination goes against our core values and has no place in our stores.

Department authorities also said they issued a $5,000 fine to Non-Stop Security Services, which provides security at the store, but the company “has since agreed to a settlement involving a reduced fine and a commitment to training their guards to prevent similar incidents in the future.”

Non-Stop has not returned telephone messages asking for comment.

City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, who chairs the Civil Rights, Equity, Immigration, Aging & Disability Committee, said people should “feel emboldened” by this action that they don’t have to accept discrimination.

“People should feel the city of Los Angeles has their back,” he said.

The Civil Rights Department is charged with investigating Angelenos' complaints of racism, discrimination, and unequal treatment related to employment, housing, education, and commerce.

Maddox, the executive director, said the department had received more than 800 complaints since it was established in 2020, but most were referred either to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the California Civil Rights Department.

She said the department has “a number” of cases pending.

Twenty cases were referred to Pepperdine University for mediation.

“The enforcement arm of our operation has only been around for one year,” she said.

The Civil and Human Rights law was passed by the City Council in 2019 after a years-long campaign led by the Los Angeles Black Worker Center calling on the city to do more to stop discrimination in the private sector, according to the LA Civil Rights Department website.

It also came amid a national racial awakening on systemic racism.

The law allows for local enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, so that Angelenos "wouldn’t have to wait, sometimes for years, to have a discrimination case resolved at the state or federal level,” according to the website.

Anyone experiencing discrimination in private commerce, education, employment or housing can file a complaint with the L.A. Civil Rights Department by calling (213) 978-1845 or sending an email to LACivilRightsClaim.com.

Editor’s Note: Capri Maddox serves on LAist’s board. Board members have no influence on LAist news coverage.