Prop. 16 helps rectify entrenched systemic racism. Californians should vote yes

Proposition 16 would repeal Prop. 209, the 1996 ballot measure that ended affirmative action for California’s government and public institutions.

This country has been forced to reckon with the devastating effects of systemic racism in the wake of the senseless killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. The killing of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police created yet another national moment that forced us to reckon with how this country mistreats and disregards people of color.

Affirmative action, along with other policies specifically designed to address the legacy of systemic racism, can help to reconcile our long history of injustice. California, as the nation’s most diverse state, should be leading the nation in these efforts. Our state policies should reflect a deep commitment to addressing systemic racism and ensuring that our institutions reflect our communities.

Today, we’re not living up to the challenge.

Despite California’s wealth of racial, ethnic and cultural diversity, the vast majority of California’s U.S. Senators have been white. Despite the fact that nearly 40% of the state’s population is Latino, California has not had a Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco served in the position for a few months in 1875.

Prop. 209, which had strong support from former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, is a relic from a past era in which state leaders flaunted their racism in exchange for short-term political gains. California Republicans have paid a heavy political price ever since.

After decades of decline, there are now no statewide GOP elected officials and only a paltry number of GOP legislators. Out of 40 state senators, 11 are Republicans. Polls say it could drop to 7 after November 3. Currently, the California State Assembly has 61 Democrats and just 17 Republicans.

California has done important work to right the wrongs of the past in recent years. This year, for example, the California State Legislature passed a law requiring inclusion and racial diversity on corporate boards. In 2018, it passed a law to require more women on those boards as well.

But there’s a lot more to be done to ensure that workplaces and centers of power in California more accurately reflect the people of this state. That’s why Prop. 16 matters.

Prop. 16 does not mandate quotas. Starting with the Supreme Court’s 1978 University of California v. Bakke decision, numerous later U.S. Supreme Court decisions have also made clear that quotas won’t pass legal muster anytime soon.

Prop. 16 simply allows the state to consider race, ethnicity and gender in hiring. Its passage would mean that affirmative action programs could be legally implemented to encourage more students of color to apply for college admissions in California. This, in turn, will lead to more opportunity for these young people in the state’s future workforce.

Affirmative action is a social good. It helps rectify entrenched systemic racism and ensure that our institutions reflect our people. The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board urges a yes vote on Prop. 16.

This story was originally published October 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM.