April 1 GOP Newspaper regarding SCA-5 共和党4月1日党报关于SCA-5
Maggie Tian-911 04/02 5214
4.5/133
From: Luis Buhler
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 5:50 PM
To: Maggie Tian
Subject: BayAreaGOP April 2014 Newsletter
April, 1, 2014 Luis Buhler, Publisher
Californians Rally to Stop SCA 5 ... For Now
Senate Republicans Back Asian Community Effort to Prohibit Racial Discrimination in College Admissions
Senator Edward Hernandez, a Democrat from the San Gabriel Valley, has been on a mission for several years to overturn Propostion 209 provisions that prohibit racial discrimination in determining admission to California's higher education system. In 2010, he introduced AB 2047 that passed on a party-line vote with Republicans opposing the measure. It was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger. In 2011, Senator Hernandez again introduced the concept of taking education out of the protections in Prop. 209 with SB 185, and once again, the measure passed on a party-line vote. This time, Governor Brown vetoed the bill, stating the change should be in the form of a constitutional amendment. Following that lead, Hernandez was back in 2013 with Senate Constitution Amendment 5 (SCA 5).
SCA 5 passed the Senate with full support of the Democrats, before they lost their Supermajority due to the removal of 3 indicted members. As the measure approached the Assembly, Californians became aware of the impact on ethnic groups who had been able to enter college based on merit, not race. The Asian community in particular began to spread the word, and they held their elected officials accountable for their votes to change Prop. 209. Their voices were heard, and the measure was pulled back from the Assembly.
We know better than to think this battle is over. Senate pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez announced the formation of a joint Senate and Assembly Commission tasked with holding hearings up and down the state to solicit expert testimony, as well as public input, concerning SCA 5 and "equal opportunity" in California's public institutions of higher learning. One can only conclude that they mean to bring the measure back for the 2016 November election, when they have a better chance of Democrats showing up at the polls.
BayAreaGOP.com will keep track of this topic and will report updates on a webpage that has been dedicated to news and voting records on SCA 5, or any other measures trying to impose racial discrimination for entrance into higher education. We applaud the efforts of Californians who rallied to highlight this issue. Your voices were heard loud and clear!
Best regards,
Luis
