Gov. passes bill protecting religious attire at work

SACRAMENTO (KGO) -- California employers must now accommodate religious attire and not place people who wear it out of public view. It's the result of a bill signed this weekend by Governor Jerry Brown.

Brown was joined by several members of the Sikh community wearing turbans and head scarves for the bill signing ceremony. The measure clarifies requirements for employers who might otherwise engage in job discrimination.

"Assembly Bill 1964 makes very clear that a dress code that is imposed by an employer must still accommodate religious attire. And so, so long as there is no undue hardship imposed on the employer, they are going to need to say you can wear that head scarf and you can wear that turban," said Zahra Billoo-Cair, Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations Bay Area chapter.

The new law has the potential to help the case of a Muslim woman who sued Disneyland last month claiming she was fired from a hostess position after refusing to remove her head scarf.

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