{"id":60331,"date":"2023-10-09T12:39:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T19:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=60331"},"modified":"2023-10-09T12:39:04","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T19:39:04","slug":"california-governor-gavin-newsom-vetoes-caste-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=60331","title":{"rendered":"California Governor Gavin Newsom Vetoes Caste Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_54 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_54\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span><a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/author\/sunita\/\">Sunita Sohrabji<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_55 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_55\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2023-10-08T10:35:38-07:00\">Oct 8, 2023<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_56 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_56\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Despite overwhelming support from the California state Senate and Assembly, the governor vetoed SB 403, saying the state already protects its minorities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_57 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_57\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"entry-thumb td-animation-stack-type0-2\" title=\"caste bill vetoed newsom\" src=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/caste-bill-vetoed-newsom.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/caste-bill-vetoed-newsom.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/caste-bill-vetoed-newsom-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/caste-bill-vetoed-newsom-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/caste-bill-vetoed-newsom-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/caste-bill-vetoed-newsom-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/caste-bill-vetoed-newsom-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/caste-bill-vetoed-newsom-1068x712.jpg 1068w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" \/><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">California Governor Gavin Newsom. (Wikimedia Commons photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_58 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_58\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>California Governor Gavin Newsom Oct. 7 vetoed SB 403, a bill by Sen. Aisha Wahab that would have added caste as a protected category to the state\u2019s civil rights code.<\/p>\n<p>Newsom, a Democrat, vetoed the legislation amid a slew of bills he signed and vetoed that same day. In a letter forwarded to media, the governor defended the veto, stating: \u201cIn California, we believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter who they are, where they come from, who they love, or where they live.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is why California already prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics, and state law specifies that these civil rights protections shall be liberally construed.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Caste as Protected Class<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cBecause discrimination based on caste is already prohibited under these existing categories, this bill is unnecessary,\u201d wrote Newsom.<\/p>\n<p>Wahab\u2019s bill had earlier passed through the California state Senate and Assembly with overwhelming support. California was poised to be the first state in the nation to recognize caste as a protected class.<\/p>\n<p>Newsom\u2019s veto came two days after Republican Senators Brian Jones and Shannon Grove sent the governor a letter, characterizing SB403 as \u201ca discriminatory bill that will not only target and racially profile South Asian Californians, but will put other California residents and businesses at risk and jeopardize our state\u2019s innovative edge.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Un-American\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cKnowingly targeting a particular group for disparate treatment is un-American and constitutionally impermissible,\u201d wrote Jones and Grove.<\/p>\n<p>Equality Labs, a Dalit organization which spearheaded the bill in the California state Legislature, and earlier in Seattle, expressed its disappointment with Newsom\u2019s veto, but added that the overall movement to get the bill to the governor\u2019s desk was a win.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are very proud of the power and resilience that caste-oppressed people across the state have shown in their advocacy for SB403. While it is heartbreaking to receive the Governor\u2019s veto, it is not a reflection of the incredible democratic power that our communities showed,\u201d said Thenmozhi Soundararajan, executive director of Equality Labs.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hunger Strike<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWe did the impossible. We made the world aware that caste exists in the US and our people need a remedy from this violence. A testament to our organizing is in Newsom\u2019s veto where he acknowledges that caste is currently covered. So while we wipe our tears and grieve, know that we are not defeated,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Equality Labs and its supporters began a hunger strike 29 days ago to alert Newsom to the bill. In an interview as the hunger strike began, Soundarajan told Ethnic Media Services she believed the bill had Newsom\u2019s support.<\/p>\n<p>The Sikh Coalition also expressed its disappointment with the veto, noting that more than 45 organizations and gurdwaras came together to urge Newsom to sign SB 403.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Constitutional Disaster\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWhile we are frustrated by this failure to take a meaningful step forward for the civil rights of all, we will continue to fight for legislation that protects all communities \u2014 including the Dalit community \u2014 from hate and discrimination,\u201d stated the Coalition in a press statement.<\/p>\n<p>The Hindu American Foundation, one of the most vocal opponents of Wahab\u2019s bill, expressed its support of the veto.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the stroke of his pen, Governor Newsom has averted a civil rights and constitutional disaster that would have put a target on hundreds of thousands of Californians simply because of their ethnicity or their religious identity, as well as create a slippery slope of \u00a0facially discriminatory laws,\u201d said Samir Kalra, HAF Managing Director, adding that SB403 was based on \u201cracist rhetoric, a baseless lawsuit, egregious Civil Rights Department misconduct, and false claims about the Hindu religion and South Asian community at large.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Coalition of Hindus of North America said in a tweet: \u201cDelighted to see sanity prevail in California. Thank you Gavin Newsom for vetoing SB403. \u00a0A victory for common sense, for American laws and a win for those who fought for justice.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BySunita Sohrabji Oct 8, 2023 Despite&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ca-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60331"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60332,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60331\/revisions\/60332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}