Final answer:
The Department of Fair Employment and Housing is the state agency in California responsible for preventing discrimination in housing accommodations due to race, color, sex, national origin, or ancestry. It enforces laws like the Fair Employment and Housing Act and the Unruh Civil Rights Act.
Step-by-step explanation:
The state agency in California that is empowered to prevent acts of discrimination in housing accommodations because of race, color, sex, national origin, or ancestry is the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). The DFEH works to protect the people in California from unlawful discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations, and also from hate violence. This agency enforces laws such as the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Unruh Civil Rights Act, which prohibit discrimination in various settings, including housing. The Fair Housing Act of 1968, which is a federal law also known as the Civil Rights Act of 1968, banned discrimination in the sale or rental of housing and is an important part of the regulatory framework that the DFEH enforces.