California voted to change its constitution

[Antiboyscout]

Specifically to REMOVE this statement:

"The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin."

[LittleRaven]

I suspect this is aimed at the State University System. And I can understand the necessity, even if the optics are less than optimal.

[ProfessorDetective]

Oh, that can't be good...

[LittleRaven]

Oh, that can't be good...

I suspect it's very good news if you're a University Admissions officer.

[G-Man]

I suspect this is aimed at the State University System. And I can understand the necessity, even if the optics are less than optimal.

Translation: It sounds bad, but we're only really planning on discriminating against whites and males, so it's okay.

[Riedquat]

Wondered what the fuss was about in the OP but had somehow managed to miss the word "remove" (despite it being in caps). Yeah, that really doesn't sound good, and this from someone who thinks too much of this debate has been coloured by over PC nonsense.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

What, for like, Affirmative Action or something?

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

So this is how democracy dies... With thunderous applause.

Apparently yes, it's aimed directly at prop 209, pertaining to Affirmative Action.

https://ballotpedia.org/California_Repeal_Proposition_209_Affirmative_Action_Amendment_(2020)

"Californians have built the fifth largest and strongest economy in the world, but too many hardworking Californians are not sharing in our state’s prosperity—particularly women, families of color, and low-wage workers. Assembly Constitutional Amendment 5 will help improve all of our daily lives by repealing Proposition 209 and eliminating discrimination in state contracts, hiring and education. [ACA 5] is about equal opportunity for all and investment in our communities."[6]
"We have all survived and endured Proposition 209, and it has not been a luxury. It has been a hard journey. And it has caused a lot of losses."[13]
"Since Proposition 209’s passage, California has become one of only eight states that do not allow race or gender to be among the many factors considered in hiring, allotting state contracts or accepting students into the state’s public colleges and universities."[14]
"As we look around the world, we see there is an urgent cry — an urgent cry for change. After 25 years of quantitative and qualitative data, we see that race-neutral solutions cannot fix problems steeped in race."[15]
"The ongoing pandemic, as well as recent tragedies of police violence, is forcing Californians to acknowledge the deep-seated inequality and far-reaching institutional failures that show that your race and gender still matter."[16]

State Sen. Steven Bradford (D-35) said, "I know about discrimination. I live it every day. We live it in this building. Quit lying to yourselves and saying race is not a factor... the bedrock of who we are in this country is based on race."[5]
U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-37) wrote a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President Toni Atkins, and House Speaker Anthony Rendon, asking them to support the constitutional amendment. Rep. Bass stated, "Proposition 209, deceptively titled the California Civil Rights Initiative, passed by referendum in 1996 amidst an orchestrated campaign of dog-whistle politics attacking all attempts to level the playing field for women and people of color. Before Prop 209, those efforts at advancing equity had made real progress. But the Wall Street-backed authors of the initiative saw a threat to their economic stranglehold from an increasingly diverse and highly educated population in California; a population better situated to compete in jobs, education, government contracts and other areas of the state’s economy. In passing Prop 209, those groups limited competition in their industries and benefited their own businesses by erecting new institutional barriers burdening the ability of California’s women and people of color achieve positions of economic and business leadership."[4]
University of California President Janet Napolitano said, "It makes little sense to exclude any consideration of race in admissions when the aim of the University’s holistic process is to fully understand and evaluate each applicant through multiple dimensions. Proposition 209 has forced California public institutions to try to address racial inequality without factoring in race, even where allowed by federal law. The diversity of our university and higher education institutions across California, should — and must — represent the rich diversity of our state."[10]
Varsha Sarveshwar, president of the University of California Student Association, wrote, "Today, colleges can consider whether you’re from the suburbs, a city or a rural area. They can consider what high school you went to. They can consider your family’s economic background. They can look at virtually everything about you – but not race. It makes no sense – and is unfair – that schools can’t consider something that is so core to our lived experience. Repealing Prop. 209 will not create quotas or caps. These are illegal under a Supreme Court decision and would remain so."[17]

[ChiggyvonRichthofen]

I suspect this is aimed at the State University System. And I can understand the necessity, even if the optics are less than optimal.

Translation: It sounds bad, but we're only really planning on discriminating against whites and males, so it's okay.

The ones who are really being actively discriminated against here are Asians. The University of California also recently voted to end SAT/ACT exams as a requirement for admission. Asian students recently sued Harvard for discrimination (they lost) for putting a 20% cap on the number of Asian students allowed. This has been an ongoing issue in universities for a while now as anti-racists try to find ways to penalize Asians for their over-representation and over-achievement.

[Riedquat]

This has been an ongoing issue in universities for a while now as anti-racists try to find ways to penalize Asians for their over-representation and over-achievement.

Bet that doesn't include "study harder" though.