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prop 209


            In 1996, California voters struck a decisive blow against affirmative action. In passing the California Civil Rights Initiative (Proposition 209), the voters expressed their opposition to what they perceived as discrimination on the basis of race or gender. Proposition 209's chief backer, California Governor Pete Wilson, has moved ahead with implementing the initiative despite legal challenges and possible conflicts with federal law.
             Proposition 209 abolished minority and women preferences in contracts, state employment, and education. Prior to the passage of the proposition, state government had a diverse system of minority and gender set asides, quotas, and preferences in its recruitment and hiring practices. Sometimes a minority or woman who had fewer technical qualifications was admitted to college.
             The federal, state, and local governments ran programs intended to increase opportunities for various groups such as women and racial and ethnic minority groups. These programs are called ''affirmative action" programs. For example, state law identifies goals for the participation of women-owned and minority-owned companies involved with state contracts. State departments are expected, but not required, to meet these goals, which include that at least 15 percent of the value ofcontract work should be done by minority-owned companies and at least 5 percent should be done by women-owned companies. The law requires to reject bids from companies that have not meet these goals. Other examples of affirmative action programs include: Public college and university programs such as scholarship, tutoring, and outreach that are targeted toward minority or women students. Goals and timetables to encourage the hiring of members of ''underrepresented" groups for state government jobs. State and local programs required by the federal government as a condition of receiving federal funds. The proposal including in the proposition would eliminate California (state) and local government affirmative action programs in the areas of public employment, public education, and public contracting to the extent these programs based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.


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