EEOC Files Subpoena Enforcement Action Against Vallarta Food Enterprises

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today it filed an action in federal court to enforce a subpoena issued during its investigation into claims of illegal hiring practices by Vallarta Food Enterprises, Inc. and related companies, collectively known as the trade name Vallarta Supermarkets, in Central and Southern California.

Vallarta Supermarkets is a family-owned supermarket chain with approximately 80 locations throughout Central and Southern California., and a corporate office located in Sylmar, California. The related companies in this case are Gonzalez Food Enterprises, Inc., Daniel Food Enterprises, Inc., Jalos Food Enterprises, Inc., Joya Food Enterprises, Inc., Santa Isabel Enterprises, Inc., and Zixta Enterprises, Inc.

The EEOC is investigating EEOC Commissioner-initiated charges of discrimination against Vallarta Supermarkets. The EEOC’s charges allege that the company has failed or refused to recruit, hire or promote non-Hispanic individuals because of their race (white, black, and/or Asian) and national origin (non-Hispanic). Such hiring practices may be illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“As the nation’s premier civil rights law enforcement agency, Congress afforded the EEOC with the authority to subpoena companies to determine if discrimination is occurring,” said EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas. “In this investigation, the agency is seeking applicant and employee data to determine if Vallarta Supermarkets is engaging in unlawful hiring practices by excluding non-Hispanic individuals from employment, despite operating in areas with demographically diverse populations. The EEOC is committed to even-handed enforcement of the law and equal opportunity for all Americans.”

In order to investigate these allegations, the EEOC issued a subpoena to Vallarta Supermarkets, requesting information including applicant and employee data, screening questions used during the hiring process, job descriptions, race and national origin complaints, and any demographic data obtained for either applicants or employees and contact information.

The EEOC filed the action (EEOC v. Vallarta Food Enterprises, Inc., Gonzalez Food Enterprises, Inc., Daniel Food Enterprises, Inc., Jalos Food Enterprises, Inc., Joya Food Enterprises, Inc., Santa Isabel Enterprises, Inc., and Zixta Enterprises, Inc., Case No. 2:25-mc-00058) in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California after first attempting to obtain voluntary compliance with its investigative requests.

For more information on race and color discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination. For more information on national origin discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/national-origin-discrimination.

The Los Angeles District Office has jurisdiction over parts of California and Nevada; the Hawaiian Islands; American Samoa; Guam; the Northern Mariana Islands; and Wake Island with offices in Los Angeles, Fresno, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Honolulu.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.