[nonameiguess]

This article is specifically about the UC system, which has been banned by Proposition 209 since 1996 from considering an applicant's race when making admissions decisions. It might matter at private schools or in other states, though.

It might surprise people who only know California by reputation and assume it is completely full of raging lefties, but affirmative action measures have been pretty soundly rejected by voters many times in the past three decades and the state has not been allowed to implement any of them.

[diognesofsinope]

That's because Richard Sander from UCLA Law has demonstrated fairly well that there's a really good chance that affirmative action is a net negative for those it's trying to help.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Sander

They should oppose it because it likely harms black people.

[mannerheim]

California has a significant Asian population. In my experience, many older Chinese Americans are completely apolitical, but one thing they do care about is that their children get into a good college. They exerted significant pressure the last time repealing Prop 209 was proposed by calling and writing their elected officials.

[crackercrews]

The last time 209 was up for repeal was last year. Elected officials were not involved. It was up for popular vote, and it failed. I think the margin was even wider than when 209 was first put in place.

The pro-209 campaign was outspent something like $27M to $1.6M but still prevailed.

[usaar333]

It was a legislature introduced constitutional amendment; the legislature was heavily involved by virtue of voting to put it on the ballot.

[mannerheim]

Ah, my mistake, I was thinking of the attempt in 2012.

[an_opabinia]

Dropping the SAT is an affirmative action measure.