I was accused of a theft that I did not commit, what are my options?

In mid February of this year, a small amount of money was missing from the petty cash of my former employer. At the time, I was a store manager and I was held responsible for these sort of matters. I thought that it was either a cashier issue or that the money could have been misplaced. A few days later, I receive a call from an loss prevention representative stating that our store was under investigation for theft. Of course this worried me, if it got to HR there must be something more that I was not aware of. I believe it was about a week later, that I received another call from my district LP saying that they have 2 witnesses and statements saying that I was one would stole the cash. To make it clear, I did not take the money. He asked me for a statement about the incedent and then the call was ended. At the end of the week, the LP resentative showed up at my store with a check in hand and told me this would be my last day and I would no longer be hireable with this company. Before I was asked to leave, we conferenced in my old boss, who then basically redescribed what was told to me on the prior phone call and said she was disappointed in me. This happened as the economy entered it's rut and as a result I have been unable to find a career that has been able to provide me with the means that I have become accustom to. In the state of California what are my options and what steps do I need to take?

There are protected grounds upon which or for which one cannot be fired, but as you can see from the list below, none of them come into play in your situation.

If you were fired for reason which violate federal law, it doesn't matter what state you live in.

The Federal laws prohibiting job discrimination are:

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, ***, or national origin;
• the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from ***-based wage discrimination;
• the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older;
• Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibit employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local governments;
• Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities who work in the federal government; and
• the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.

Overview - Laws
Unfortunately, no one has a "right" to work to be able to sustain a lifestyle to which they are accustomed.

If you had been wrongfully charged criminally, you may have had recourse,but most states, like California, are "at will" states meaning you can be fired for no reason at any time as long as the above reasons do not come into play.

Probably the only means you might have for a claim against your former employer is if they can be proven to have given false information to a potential employer. Some companies are stupid enough to let a loose tongued manager actually do this. The question is whether either of you can prove anything .... as in who would testify as to what references they gave? Or what proof do they have as to who did what?

Better that you spend your time moving to a place where you are well known as a good person and try to find a job there... just resting on your previous experience there.

Or go back to school and get a degree and just start over.