Rinku Sen

Grading our lawmakers on racial equity

Today in Oakland, California, my colleagues at the Applied Research Center released a report grading the state legislature and the Governor on their racial justice performance for the past legislative session. We considered the 18 bills out of all those that made it to the Governor's desk that would have had the most positive impact on communities of color and poor communities. You can listen to the press conference and see the report at http://www.arc.org/crei/051116pressreportcard.html.

We used five criteria for selecting the legislation:
-- Does the legislation explicitly address racial outcomes and work to eliminate racial inequities?
-- Will the legislation increase access to public benefits and institutions for communities of color?
-- Does the legislation advance enfranchisement and full civic participation for all Californians?
-- Will the legislation protect against racial violence, racial profiling, and discrimination?
-- Is the legislation enforceable? Are there mechanisms in place to ensure accountability?

Some highlights include:
-- Governor Shwarzenegger raised his grade from last year - from a failing F to a dismal D. He vetoed 8 of the 18, including the no-brainer minimum wage bill and the employer health coverage disclosure bill.
-- Fewer legislators made the honor roll for 100% support for racial equity bills this year than last year -- down to 40 from 45.
-- Five racial justice bills got strong bipartisan support.

Schwarzenegger suffered a humiliating defeat last week when not one of the right-wing ballot measures he had endorsed passed. California voters, rapidly becoming mostly people of color, said no to parental notification for abortion, no to blaming teachers for all that's wrong in our schools, and an absolute no to Arnold's attempts to establish "strong Governor" rules that bypass the democratic process. This report card shows in part why he's more loved in China than in Cali at this moment.

For more information on the Racial Equity Report Card, email the author at mkrajcer@arc.org

Rinku Sen: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 5:02 PM, Nov 16, 2005 in Civil Rights | Democracy | Progressive Agenda
Permalink | Email to Friend