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Gov. Newsom Vetoes Caste Discrimination Bill
State Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, authored the bill to ban caste discrimination which was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday.
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Courtesy California Senate Democrats YouTube channel
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Topline:
Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have made California the first state to ban discrimination on the basis of caste. Newsom’s decision caps off months of fiery debate among members of the South Asian community over the need to address caste-based bigotry in state law.
What did Newsom say: The governor in his veto message for SB 403 reasoned that California already prohibits discrimination on the basis of characteristics such as ancestry and national origin and “state law specifies that these civil rights protections shall be liberally construed.”
“Because discrimination based on caste is already prohibited under these existing categories, this bill is unnecessary,” Newsom wrote.
What is caste: Caste refers to a millenniums-old social status system that one is born into. This form of social stratification is officially banned in India and Nepal. But some members of the lowest-ranked group, Dalits, say they continue to face bias while seeking jobs and housing even after moving to the U.S. In response to such accounts, the California State University last year added caste as a protected category in its anti-discrimination policy.
Supporters of the bill have been on a hunger strike since it won legislative passage Sept. 5 to urge the governor to sign the bill.
What the bill's opponents say: Critics of SB 403, authored by State Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, said that the bill would backfire by singling out South Asians, in particular Hindus because of their religion's historic ties to the caste system. They were backed by some Republicans including Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones of San Diego and Bakersfield State Senator Shannon Grove who urged Newsom to reject the bill in a letter sent this week.
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What's next: In a statement released Tuesday, Wahab continued to press for protections against caste bias: ”I believe our laws need to be more explicit especially in times when we see civil rights being eroded across the country. We cannot take anything for granted." But she did not say whether she would re-introduce the bill.
The bill's supporters, including the group Equality Labs, expressed deep disappointment in Newsom, but said they considered their campaign a win and that they would continue to fight for civil rights.
Go deeper: California Could Become First State To Ban Caste Discrimination
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