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NO ON PROP 54
The Reality of Proposition 54
The Proponents of 54 say they want us to move towards a color-blind society. Well, we all want that - a society in which neither race, ethnicity, gender, nor any other trait determines how we're treated or what opportunities we have. In reality, this is the last
thing that Prop 54 will help us do.
Prop 54 would hamstring public institutions across the board, making it impossible for state, county, and local agencies to collect or use demographic data that is critical to effective management of government services, including critical services like health care, education, and law enforcement. Under Prop 54, wherever race or ethnicity is a factor, it would become difficult or impossible to recognize disparities, monitor progress, or tailor efforts towards populations being served. The result would be less efficient, less effective services, and in some cases, the elimination of programs that have been proven to be effective. For these reasons, a long list of health care organizations, public officials at every level, and civil rights organizations have denounced the measure - saying it's misguided, counter-productive, and dangerous.
The implicit logic of Prop 54 is that if we cannot see the challenges presented by the issue of race, then they will go away. The reality is that the challenges won't go away - we simply won't have the data to identify and address those challenges.
If it becomes law, Proposition 54 would:
Eliminate public health programs that save lives. Public health prevention resources are targeted by race because some health problems affect different races disproportionately, and because cultural differences make different prevention approaches more effective with different groups.
Undermine accountability in school reform. The California Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999 is the state’s central school reform program. It requires schools to set goals for student achievement and it demands accountability by instituting testing to measure achievement. Racial data is a central part of the evaluation process. It allows schools to determine whether some groups are improving more than others and it allows schools to target resources for the best overall improvement. Without this measurement data, school reform would be stripped of accountability.
Wipe out civil rights enforcement. Without racial data, victims of discrimination in
state employment or contracting won’t be able to address patterns of racial discrimination. This initiative makes discrimination protections impossible
to enforce.
Hinder law enforcement efforts. Hate crimes, racial profiling mitigation and community policing all rely on racial data of police officers, suspects and victims to carry out laws. Understanding and addressing hate crime patterns and racial profiling patterns are only possible if we have accurate information.
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posted by Rita at 
