Sacramento County, LAFCO sued for gender, racial discrimination
Desirae Fox dreamed of creating livable communities while working for a Sacramento County regional planning agency. She helps local cities plan out their future, envisioning a vibrant future for residents.
Fox, an analyst with the Local Agency Formation Commission, is a mother of four and delivered her most recent child last year. She returned to work, and walked into a room to breastfeed.
But the space, known as a lactation pod under California state law, was an unmarked file cabinet room with “no privacy, no sink and no refrigeration,” according to a lawsuit filed last month. Fox said she instead pumped breastmilk in her car, which led to “humiliation, inconvenience and physical discomfort,” the lawsuit said.
County spokesperson Kim Nava did not immediately return a request for comment.
The lawsuit alleges Sacramento County and the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission forced Fox, a Black woman, to work while on pregnancy disability leave and retaliated against her by “denying lawful lactation accommodations and imposing adverse work conditions.” The other accusations include gender and racial discrimination.
“There were some big projects happening at the time,” Fox said. “I just didn’t have the bandwidth to be the superstar analyst, because I thought I was in survival mode.”
Fox is seeking an unspecified amount in damages. A hearing is scheduled next year for the case.
