California Assembly Proposes Amendment Supporting Racial Discrimination

California Democrats Push for ⁤Bill to Strip Constitutional Protections Against Racial Discrimination

On Friday, September 1, the California assembly’s appropriations committee held a hearing ⁣in which they voted to move forward with a bill that would strip California’s Constitution of its protections against racial‌ discrimination.

Current Constitutional Protections

“The State shall‍ not discriminate ⁢against,‌ or ⁣grant preferential treatment to, any individual group on the basis of race,​ sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.”

The bill, called ⁢ACA-7, seeks ⁣to amend this section of the State Constitution by adding:

“The State may‍ use state money to‍ fund ⁣research-based, or ‌research-informed, and culturally specific programs‍ in⁢ any industry, including, but not limited ⁢to, public employment,⁤ public education, and public contracting, if those⁤ programs are established or otherwise ⁣implemented by the State⁣ for purposes of increasing the life expectancy of,​ improving ⁢educational​ outcomes for, or ‌lifting out of poverty specific groups based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, or marginalized ‍genders, sexes, or sexual orientations.”

In short, California‍ Democratic⁤ lawmakers don’t like the simple yet unequivocal ban on discrimination in the ​State’s Constitution.‌ They want to ⁣replace it ‍with a system where all the California government‌ has to do is ⁣find⁤ an academic paper or professor ‍claiming ​that their race-based programs and affirmative action‍ initiatives do, in fact, “improve‍ educational outcomes”⁢ or ‌“lift out of poverty” certain minorities, and they can go ‍on discriminating based on ‍race, forcing Californians’ tax dollars to support race-based preferential ​treatment in perpetuity.

It is ⁣quite ironic ‌and very‌ sad that California Democrats have ‍gotten to‍ a point where they are so convinced that they are the ones fighting ‌for justice and‍ individual rights while openly championing a bill that would⁢ destroy the protections that grant ⁤every American the⁣ same rights⁣ and opportunities, ⁣the​ protections that‍ allow ​every American ​to ⁤be assessed ‌based​ on their own‍ merit and character, regardless of the color of their ⁣skin. Of course, the supporters of ACA-7 believe that certain groups — blacks, for example — have been so marginalized by past discrimination and by current ⁣institutional⁢ racism, that treating everyone ⁣the ⁢same and providing everyone with the same ⁣opportunities regardless‌ of race is actually a form of injustice. Yes, there⁣ are real income‌ and⁤ achievement gaps for blacks and‌ Hispanics in this country. But racial ⁢discrimination will not⁣ solve ⁣those ‍problems. Racial discrimination should never be the answer ⁤in any context. It will create a‍ country ‌divided into groups constantly fighting over which group gets to be raised ‍up and which group has to⁢ be‍ pushed down. ACA-7 is⁤ a morally abhorrent bill because it ‍would enshrine that kind ⁣of ‍division.

California Democrats likely won’t find my arguments above convincing, but they should still ⁣drop ACA-7. Why?‌ Because it’s a losing issue for them.​ First and ‍foremost, it’s ⁢unpopular with voters. According to the Wall‌ Street Journal, ACA-7 is deeply⁤ unpopular⁤ with Asian Americans, who⁣ have been waking up to the fact that race-based preferential treatment that throws merit ⁢out the⁤ window seriously hurts⁢ them and their futures. If Democrats go forward with this bill, they ‌will ‍alienate even more of their Asian American voters, who ⁣have already begun to shift away because of ​Democrat ‌policies on crime.

And ⁢it’s not just Asian ⁢Americans who dislike ‍affirmative action. The same⁣ Wall Street Journal op/ed cites a⁤ Pew ⁣Research survey⁤ conducted back ‌in ⁢June which found ⁤that ‌the majority ‌of ⁣Americans believe‍ that considering race and ethnicity in college admissions makes college⁤ admissions less fair ‌than more ‌fair. If ACA-7 manages to pass ⁣in the state Senate, it will still have to be voted on by Californians ⁣in a ⁤referendum. The people of California don’t⁤ want state-sponsored racial ⁤discrimination. That’s why they enshrined anti-discrimination into California’s Constitution in the first place. In⁣ all likelihood, ACA-7 will fail in​ the referendum, and California Democrats will⁣ have wasted millions of dollars⁤ campaigning for ⁤it and gained‌ nothing except disdain from ⁣their constituents.

And if somehow ⁣Democrats do convince enough Californians ⁤to pass this amendment, all that work will eventually come to nothing anyway, because the Supreme Court,⁢ which ruled decisively against affirmative ⁣action back in June, will strike it down.

California Democrats ⁣should abandon ACA-7 immediately. Not only is it racist and unjust,⁤ but it is political ​poison.

Emmie Lo is a Latin teacher and staff writer for ​ Color Us United.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the ​author⁤ and do not necessarily represent ⁣those of The⁤ Daily ⁢Wire.