Thank you for your correspondence in oppositon to Senate Constitutional Amendment 5(SCA 5), authored by Senator Hernandez. If passed, this bill would have proposed an amendment to California's Constitution to be placed before the voters that would have increased educationlal access to minority students in California.
California's public instutions of higher educaiton now accept fewer-qualified minority students since the 1996 passage of Proposion 209. Proposion 209 was passed under the premise of prohibiting the state from granting preferential treatment on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public education. I have observed that since its inception, Proposition 209 has only widened the gap of access to higher educaiton to the detriment of minority students. SCA 5 would have addressed this disparityby amending California's Constitution to delete some of the provisions created under Proposion 209, thereby affording further opportunities for many students.
SCA 5 received my vote in the Senate, but was halted in the Assembly and will not progress further during this legislative session. You may find more informaiton on this bill on www.legiinfo.ca.gov. Once at the website, they the number of the bill in the search box (e.g. SCA 5) and you will learn more.
Again, thank you for taking the time to inform me of your opinion. Although we differ in opinion regarding this policy, your input is very important in helping me weigh the impacts of the proposed legislation. If I maybe assistance to you in the future, please do not hesitate to contact my distract office.
