Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
California Voters to Decide Fate of Affirmative Action Ban
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
June 24, 2020

Share

SACRAMENTO — California voters will decide in November whether governments and public colleges and universities can consider race in their hiring, contracting and admissions decisions.
The state has banned affirmative action policies since 1996, when 55% of voters approved a constitutional amendment that banned “preferential treatment” based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.
The ban has survived many court challenges and legislative attempts to change it. But this year, supporters were buoyed by the nationwide protests about racial injustice stemming from the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The state Senate voted 30-10 on Wednesday to repeal that amendment, which still requires the approval of voters in November. Sen. Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita was the only Republican to vote for the repeal.
The vote followed hours of emotional debate. Sen. Steven Bradford, a Democrat from Gardena who is Black, called out some of his white colleagues who he says “have never hired a black person, and probably never will.”
“We’re race conscious in everything we do,” Bradford said. “Quit lying to yourselves and saying race is not a factor.”

California Is One of Eight States That Have Banned Affirmative Action Policies

The vote comes one day before the deadline to put Constitutional amendments on the ballot for November. The repeal will face strong, organized opposition from some in the state’s Asian community, who have said they fear it will be used against them at some of the state’s elite public universities where Asian Americans make up a higher percentage of the enrollment than they do of the state as a whole.
Republican state Sen. Ling Ling Chang, who is of Taiwanese descent, voted against the repeal.
“This bill is rescinding very simple but powerful language from our Constitution that makes it illegal to discriminate against someone for ethnicity or race in the course of public employment,” she said. “The answer to discrimination is not more discrimination.”
California is one of eight states that have banned affirmative action policies. Others include Washington, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Arizona, New Hampshire and Oklahoma. A constitutional amendment in Colorado failed to pass in 2008.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

Is a Waxed Apple ‘Ultra-Processed?’ CA Bill Could Trigger a Lawsuit Barrage

Fresno Measure C Transportation Tax Talks Continue Amid Renewal Uncertainty

4 hours ago

Judge Bars Trump Administration From Detaining Mahmoud Khalil

4 hours ago

Life-Threatening Meals: Restaurants Would Identify Food Allergens for Diners Under This Proposed Law

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. If Kim Nickols eats dairy, peanuts or wheat, her blood pre...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

Life-Threatening Meals: Restaurants Would Identify Food Allergens for Diners Under This Proposed Law

3 hours ago

Iran Threatens to Strike US Bases in Region if Military Conflict Arises

4 hours ago

Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades

4 hours ago

Fresno Measure C Transportation Tax Talks Continue Amid Renewal Uncertainty

4 hours ago

Judge Bars Trump Administration From Detaining Mahmoud Khalil

4 hours ago

Is a Waxed Apple ‘Ultra-Processed?’ CA Bill Could Trigger a Lawsuit Barrage

4 hours ago

Edmunds: These Five Vehicles Are Hidden Automotive Gems

4 hours ago

GM to Invest $4 Billion to Shift Some Production From Mexico to the US

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend