OCGOV Revenue and Competitors

In 1972, the Commission conducted an investigation on the displacement of low-income Mexican-American families from the Shamrock apartment complex in Santa Ana. Through this investigation the Commission soon realized that abuse of new immigrants was rampant throughout the county. Immigrant rights became a priority that would remain to present day. The Commission’s role helping victims of employment discrimination and in support of affirmative action was a reactive one. Staff mediated cases, developed materials and provided seminars on the Equal Employment Opportunities law to employers and community members at large. By the mid to late 1970’s, the Commission’s scope began to expand. Large numbers of refugees from Vietnam began to settle in, contributing to an already diverse county and increasing the need for a human relations approach. In 1978, the Commission took a stand for gay rights by opposing anti-gay Proposition 6 which would have allowed the firing of gay and lesbian school employees. A community organizing approach began to take hold as one method of good human relations work.