The California Faculty Association (CFA) filed a lawsuit Friday, Oct. 10, in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees, accusing the university system of unlawfully sharing Cal State Los Angeles faculty members’ personal information with the Trump Administration’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
In a letter to members Friday, CFA President Margarita Berta-Ávila said the union filed a Petition for Writ of Mandate and Complaint for Injunctive and Declaratory Relief to stop CSU from disclosing faculty personal data—such as phone numbers and email addresses—without prior notice to affected employees or an opportunity for them to object. The lawsuit also asks the court to declare that CSU’s recent disclosures violated California’s constitutional right to privacy and the state’s Information Practices Act.
“The CSU leadership is out of step with most Californians, and most people in the nation,” Berta-Ávila wrote. “While California is leading the nation in efforts to fight the targeting and harassment of educators, government employees, LGBTQ folks, immigrants, and Black and Brown communities, CSU capitulated without a fight to the Trump Administration’s witch hunt of faculty. We are suing for accountability at CSU and we demand that they do more to protect faculty, students, and academic freedom.”
The case follows a Sept. 26 email from CSU Chancellor Mildred García informing faculty and staff that the EEOC had initiated a systemwide antisemitism complaint against CSU. The EEOC has begun contacting some employees directly as part of its review of alleged antisemitism on CSU campuses.
According to CFA, Cal State LA officials confirmed that the university had already complied with a federal subpoena, releasing faculty contact information to the EEOC before the union could review the request. CFA said it demanded a copy of the subpoena and asked administrators not to comply until a response could be formulated, but was later informed that the data had already been shared.
CFA officials said they plan to seek a preliminary injunction in the coming weeks to prevent further disclosure of members’ information. “We are continuing to do everything we can to learn about current threats to our members’ privacy, livelihoods, and freedoms and to develop strategies to protect us all from harm,” Berta-Ávila said.
The union also urged members to take part in an upcoming CSU Board of Trustees meeting on November 18, where faculty and other CSU labor groups plan to raise concerns about academic freedom, funding, and potential immigration enforcement actions on campus. Members are being asked to register and participate in the public session to “make their voices heard” and demonstrate collective action, according to the CFA letter.
The CFA, which represents more than 29,000 tenure-line faculty, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches across the 23-campus CSU system—including Cal State San Bernardino—has posted additional information and registration links on its website.
