Measure to Restore Affirmative Action in California Fails -- Update
05 November 2020 - 12:08AM
Dow Jones News
By Christine Mai-Duc
Business and conservative interests won several key victories
among this year's slate of 12 propositions in California.
Voters in America's most populous state rejected a measure that
would have allowed affirmative action in public employment,
contracting and admissions 24 years after it was initially
banned.
As of Wednesday morning local time, results showed 56% of
Californians voted against Proposition 16 and 44% in favor,
according to the Associated Press.
The hotly contested Proposition 22, which exempts gig companies
such as Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc. and DoorDash Inc. from a
new state labor law, passed with 58% support as of Wednesday
afternoon, according to the A.P. Companies supporting the measure
raised a record $205 million, outspending opponents including labor
unions 10-to-1.
Another hard-fought measure that would allow tax increases on
commercial property, ending limits that have been in place since
1978's Proposition 13, was too close to call as of Wednesday
afternoon. Opponents led 52% to 48%, according to the A.P.
Californians also voted to overturn a state law passed last year
that eliminated cash bail, a blow to a nationwide movement to end
the practice. That measure was backed by the bail bond
industry.
In addition, voters rejected a measure to allow expanded rent
control in the state that was aggressively opposed by
landlords.
Proposition 16 proponents have long wanted to remove California
from the list of nine states that forbid affirmative action. They
said it is necessary to increase enrollment of Black and Latino
students in the state's higher education system, which is below
their share of the state's public high school graduates.
Opponents argued that affirmative action undermines a system
that should be based on merit and that diversity should be achieved
through means that don't consider race.
The heads of the state's public university systems had endorsed
Proposition 16. After losing, they said they would seek to increase
diversity via better outreach and addressing student experiences on
campus.
"The failure of Proposition 16 means barriers will remain in
place to the detriment of many students, families and California at
large," said John A. Perez, chairman of the board that oversees the
University of California system.
In a Facebook post, the opposing campaign called the result a
"resounding victory for equality under the law."
The measure sought to repeal Proposition 209, passed by voters
in 1996, which prohibited the consideration of race, sex, color,
ethnicity or national origin by state and local government agencies
and public universities.
Supporters of affirmative action have monitored polling on the
issue for more than a decade. During the summer, amid protests over
the killing of George Floyd in police custody and a heightened
focus on racial justice issues, Prop. 16's backers sensed a path to
victory. The state Legislature narrowly passed a bill to place the
question on the ballot, and the Yes on 16 campaign drew support
from Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, and a cadre of elected
officials, public university leaders and corporations.
Backers had hoped shifts in California's demographics and
politics -- the state is now majority nonwhite and no Republican
has been elected to statewide office since 2006 -- would boost its
chances of passage.
But the measure consistently trailed in polls, indicating that
many voters in the largely Democratic state remained uncomfortable
with the idea of allowing preferences -- particularly for race in
public university admissions, which was the focus of the
debate.
All together, supporters raised more than $31 million, most of
it from wealthy individuals including Los Angeles Clippers owner
Steve Ballmer; Patricia Quillin, wife of Netflix Inc. Chief
Executive Reed Hastings; and Quinn Delaney, a former civil rights
attorney who gave $7.9 million.
Opponents were led in part by a vocal contingent of
Asian-American activists who helped derail a similar effort in
2014. They raised just over $1.6 million, with support from a group
funded by conservative legal activist Ed Blum and small donations
from Chinese-American individuals.
While Asian-Americans have generally been supportive of
affirmative action in national surveys, polls have shown a decline
in support among Chinese-Americans in particular, especially among
recent immigrants who are concerned affirmative action will
threaten their children's ability to gain entry into California's
elite public universities.
Asian-Americans are overrepresented at University of California
schools, compared to their share of the state's public high school
graduates.
--Melissa Korn contributed to this article.
Write to Christine Mai-Duc at christine.maiduc@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 04, 2020 17:53 ET (22:53 GMT)
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