In 1975, a group of black firefighters brought suit against various officials of the City of Oakland (City) seeking relief for what they claimed were racially discriminatory practices by the Citys fire department in hiring and promotion. The trial court, finding in favor of plaintiffs on their claim of past racial discrimination, issued a writ of mandate on December 9, 1975, ordering, among other things, that respondents "[for] the next five (5) years, promote at least one racial minority for each five Caucasian persons promoted to the same classification."
