Report: California lawmakers fail the grade on racial equity

From the Globe News Desk

Applied Research Center has published its fifth edition of the California Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger scored an “F” in racial equity, while the Assembly scored a “D” and the state Senate an “F.”

Though communities of color represent nearly 60 percent of the population, the state of California’s leadership has not addressed this majority population’s needs, reported ARC. California state lawmakers slashed budgets for social, educational and health services last year, exacerbating long-standing racial disparities.

Beyond the budget, California lawmakers scored poorly on a range of bills impacting racial equity, including housing and economics, health equity, education equity, criminal justice, civil rights and green equity.

“From school funding to strengthening the safety net for those most in need, the governor and the Legislature have repeatedly failed to effectively root out racial disparities,” said Tammy Johnson of Applied Research Center. “And now we are all living with the consequences. This week, the Legislature will even debate cutting CalWORKS.”

“These grades resulted from an exhaustive effort of communities statewide to identify bills that most impacted the quality of life of people of color in 2009,” said Goro Mitchell of Community Development Institute. “It is hard to grasp that in a state with majority people of color the Legislature and the governor were so unresponsive to our needs — this racial justice report card is key to promoting accountability.”

The majority of progressive racial equity bills were authored in the Assembly, with Speaker Karen Bass and members Kevin de Leon, Hector De La Torre, Tom Ammiano and Jose Solorio among the leaders. The Senate scored worse overall, though President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg received a “B.” Schwarzenegger scored well on criminal justice bills supporting juveniles. But the governor’s overall score dropped 24 percent since 2007.

“Last year’s budget meant domestic violence shelters closed, children were put on waiting lists for health care and homebound elderly and disabled people were left without adequate care,” said Nancy Berlin of California Partnership. “We need a state budget that puts families first, creates jobs and provides a strong safety net to help Californians through these tough economic times.”

To view the report online, visit www.arc.org.

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