California leaders urge AAPI voters to pass Proposition 16 for affirmative action

Several California elected officials on Monday called for Asian American and Pacific Islander voters to vote yes Proposition 16, a November ballot measure that, if passed, could restore affirmative action practices in college admissions and hiring in public offices.

Proposition 16 would repeal Proposition 209, a 1996 statewide initiative that ended race, sex, ethnicity and nationality-based preferences in government hiring, contracting and public college admissions.

“With over 56% of AAPI voters who received a mail-in ballot having already turned them in, time is running short for AAPI voters to be the margin of victory in a historic fight for equal opportunity,” a news release from the official Yes on 16 campaign stated.

Affirmative action has long been a controversial topic for Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, especially when it comes to college admissions. Asian Americans are overrepresented in the University of California system, and many have expressed concerns that policies based on state demographics would harm their chances, although advocates argue affirmative action policies would boost enrollment from underrepresented AAPI groups, such as Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders.

According to the Yes on 16 campaign’s release, the proposition implications extend far beyond college admissions. Passing the ballot measure could help boost AAPI representation in the job market, the release stated, especially when it comes to contracting opportunities for AAPI-owned small businesses.

“Speaking for myself, I would not have been elected into office or in public policy or politics but for an affirmative action program when I was 19 that encouraged kids of color, students of color, to enter public policy careers,” Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco and chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, said in the release.

“Passing Prop. 16 will be an opportunity to right a historical wrong, for us to face and fix the problem, to confront systemic and structural injustice and racism,” Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, said in the release. “Prop. 16 will provide opportunity and fairness, where there is lack of opportunity, lack of fairness.”