What You Need to Know

• Two lawsuits claim the air pollution agency operates under the guise of inclusivity and diversity but fosters a hostile workplace.
• The filings detail allegations of executives making discriminatory comments against women, people of color and LGBTQ individuals.
• The complaints were brought by former employees who led the HR office.

Executives at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District allegedly created an openly discriminatory “old boys club,” according to two former employees who filed lawsuits Thursday.

The lawsuits filed by attorneys at the Joseph Saveri Law Firm claim that leaders of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, or BAAQMD, which regulates stationary sources of air pollution in the region, have enforced gendered dress codes, mocked an African American woman’s hair and have made derogatory remarks about women’s bodies.

“Defendant BAAQMD masks itself under the guise of inclusivity and diversity, when in reality, it is anything but,” the complaints say. “Defendant BAAQMD has created such a pervasively hostile and systemically discriminatory and racist workplace, that both current and former employees have suffered health issues due to chronic stress (i.e., employees taking medical leave of absence due to mental and physical health issues, an employee suffering a miscarriage due to the stress suffered at BAAQMD, etc.).”

A representative for BAAQMD said the agency is aware of the lawsuits filed by two former employees “that make a...

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