Assembly Appropriations Committee Votes Yes on ACA 5; Bill Moves to Assembly Floor

ACA 5 Becomes First Bill Allowing Voters to Fully Restore Affirmative Action to Ever Receive Floor Vote

 

SACRAMENTO — Today the Opportunity For All Coalition celebrated the yes vote by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on ACA 5, Assemblymember Dr. Shirley Weber’s (D – San Diego) historic legislation that would allow California voters their first opportunity in a generation to voice their opinion on equal opportunity programs like affirmative action.

 

The Appropriations Committee victory marks the second major win for ACA 5, coming after ACA 5’s successful 6-1 bipartisan vote in the Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee on May 5th of this year.

 

“We believe that restoring equal opportunity programs in California is the only way we can build a stronger California as we recover from this health and economic crisis. By passing ACA 5, we will ensure that as we rebuild, the state will be able to focus on addressing the needs of California’s women, people of color, and other communities who were the most impacted,” said Opportunity For All Coalition Co-Chairs Eva Paterson and Vincent Pan.

“It’s incredibly exciting that so many California legislators from across the state believe that, too. We all must work together to not just recover from COVID-19, but envision a stronger, more united California that finally delivers equal opportunity in hiring, education, and contracting — all critical pieces of a better future for everyone who calls the Golden State home.”

 

They continued, “We look forward to ACA 5’s vote on the Assembly Floor later this month. We’re confident that Assemblymembers from across California understand the critical nature of equal opportunity programs — and understand that voters deserve their chance to have their say on the issue, for the first time in a generation.”

 

ACA 5 has been endorsed by over 250 organizations and leaders, including U.S. Representatives Karen Bass (CA-37) and Ro Khanna (CA-17), San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee, California State Board of Equalization Member Malia Cohen, and Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs. It is also endorsed by ACLU of California, AFSCME Local 3299, California Black Chamber of Commerce, California Federation of Teachers, California National Organization for Women, California/Hawaii State Conference NAACP, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Equal Justice Society, The Education Trust – West, and the University of California Student Association.

 

ACA 5 is co-authored by Assemblymembers Burke, Cooper, Gonzalez, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Kamlager, McCarty, and Mark Stone, and Senators Bradford and Mitchell. ACA 5 is supported by the leading civil rights organizations, labor groups and business leaders across California including Equal Justice Society, the California Black Chamber of Commerce, Chinese for Affirmative Action, ACLU of California and scores of other community advocates.

For more information about the Opportunity for All Coalition behind ACA5, visit https://opportunity4all.org.