San Francisco Chronicle: California voters will be asked whether to repeal Prop. 209 ban on affirmative action
June 24, 2020
SACRAMENTO — California voters will be asked whether to reverse the state’s prohibition on affirmative action, allowing public universities to consider race in admissions and government to give preference to businesses owned by women and people of color when awarding contracts.
The state Senate voted Wednesday to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot to reverse Proposition 209, which voters approved in 1996. That initiative’s proponents said making the state color-blind was a question of fairness. Repeal advocates argue that it has limited diversity at University of California campuses and cost businesses owned by women and people of color billions of dollars.