54: ...who has to deal with Proposition 54, the Racial Privacy Initiative

The Other Question -- A week from today Californians will settle the recall. And decide who has to deal with Proposition 54, the Racial Privacy Initiative.

WHAT IF TIGER WOODS, frustrated by his inability of late to win one of golf's majors, enrolled at UC-Berkeley to finish the degree he started years ago at Stanford? Tiger would have to identify himself by race, and that would land him in the rough. Woods calls himself a "Cablanasian" (Caucasian, black, Native American, and Asian). But because his father is African American, that's how Berkeley would categorize him. If Tiger enrolled in California's CSU system, he'd have to either choose a single race or list himself as "decline to state."

Welcome to the outdated way the state of California approaches racial categorization in our multicultural age. Welcome, in short, to Proposition 54, the Racial Privacy Initiative, which is on the recall ballot and would amend California's constitution to halt the collection and use of most racial and ethnic data by state agencies.

Prop. 54 is the brainchild of Ward Connerly, the same UC regent who backed Proposition 209, which ended racial quotas in state hiring and contracting and public university admissions. Connerly has been a lighting rod ever since 209's passage in November 1996, especially when he began exporting the quota debate to other states, most notably Florida and Michigan. Liberals loathe the man's politics and seem to detest the man himself, even going so far as to suggest that he's a traitor to his own race (Connerly may appear to be African American, but he's multiethnic--and married to a Caucasian woman).

Yet Prop. 54 has not yet emerged as a hot-button issue in recall--at least not on the order of 209 or Proposition 187 (illegal immigration), or even Governor Gray Davis's signing of a new law granting drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants. Why has 54 gone largely unnoticed? Two words: Arnold Schwarzenegger. The leading Republican candidate so dominates recall media that little room is left for an argument over the Connerly initiative. Plus, Arnold opposes Proposition 54, which defuses the topic as a talking point for Democrats who'd like nothing better than to convince minority voters that Schwarzenegger is a civil rights terminator.

That's a shame because Proposition 54 is a debate that's overdue in a state that bills itself as the world's most diverse civilization. On the yes side, conservatives defend the ideal of a colorblind society (prominent "Yes on 54" backers include George Will and the Hoover Institution's Shelby Steele). The no side takes a more passionate approach, claiming the initiative will prevent a collection of information necessary to track diseases among minorities and environmental hazards in lower-income parts of California.

On Sunday, the no side--the California Teachers Association and the Service Employees International Union--raised the stakes by releasing a new TV ad featuring former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. "As surgeon general, I faced many decisions affecting life and death," says Koop. "On October 7, you'll make a life-and-death decision affecting every Californian." The ad compliments an earlier anti-54 ad by Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, in which the recall candidate says the initiative's side effects are "more important than politics."

(The courts may not like Bustamante's use of funny money to pay for that ad, but it's been effective in moving the public. Polls show support for Prop. 54 slipping from 50 percent in July to roughly 40 percent a week before the election.)

Connerly's calls these claims "scare tactics." He notes that the initiative does include an exemption for what it describes as "medical research subjects and patients." Besides, Connerly says, if Prop. 54 did pass, he'd work with the legislature to find new avenues for health-related research.

In fact, a closer look at Connerly's initiative shows it doesn't have the Armageddon-like effect its opponents suggest. Even if voters approved Prop. 54, the University of California would still monitor the racial makeup of its student body (but not the number minority applicants denied admission). California's Department of Education would still be required to track the math and language scores of racial groups at many grade levels. Connerly inserted a 10-year exemption (expiring in 2015) for data collected by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. What's less clear is what happens to racial data stemming from birth and death certificates (54's supporters say that's covered by the "medical" exemption).

There's a catch to all of this, though, and that's trying to get Californians to be of one mind on a topic that's part of the divide in how Californians vote. According to a survey conducted for the California Wellness Foundation, 66 percent of "yes" voters on Prop. 54 want to recall Davis while "no" voters are more evenly divided (45 percent favor recall, 48 percent oppose). The "yes" vote favors Schwarzenegger over Bustamante, 30 percent to 17 percent. The opposite is true on the "no" side, with 39 percent saying they'll vote for Bustamante and only 13 percent siding with Schwarzenegger.

Ironically, while Prop. 54 may fail at the polls a week from today, the issue of racial data will have to be addressed by whoever emerges as the recall winner. That's because current state law is full of inherent conflicts. In California, residents are asked to list their race on birth and death certificates. But that's not the case when applying for a marriage license. Race is required when asking for a home loan, but not for credit cards or most business loans. Davis himself has only added to the misery: thanks to a bill he just signed into law, California voter-registration documents will include a space for racial identification.

And there's the matter of keeping pace with the feds, who are a step ahead of California in terms of monitoring America's blended society. Three years ago, the U.S. Census Bureau began a new policy of tracking Americans who identify with as many as six different races. Contrast that to the University of California's counting only one race no matter how many boxes a student checks. Nearly 95,000 California residents identified themselves in the last census as belonging to three or more races (California has twice as many multiracial residents (1.6 million) as the next closest state, New York).

It's a challenge for the next governor--especially if that leader is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has avoided Prop. 54 like it meant carpooling with Arianna Huffington.

Bill Whalen is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he follows California and national politics.

Opponents of Prop 54

http://www.defeat54.org/endorsers.asp

Opposition to Proposition 54 (the Information Ban)

Partial List

[from the No on 54 Defeat54.org web site]

HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS:

Alameda Health Consortium American Academy of Pediatrics, California District American Cancer Society American College of Epidemiology American Heart Association, Western States Affiliate American Public Health Association Armenian American Medical Society Asian Health Services Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center Asian Perinatal Advocates Association of American Medical Colleges Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations Blue Cross/Blue Shield Breast Cancer Action Breast Cancer Fund California Academy of Family Physicians California Association of Public Hospitals California Black Health Network California Center for Public Health Advocacy California Conference of Local Health Officers California Healthcare Association California Medical Association California Nurses Association California Pan-Ethnic Health Network California Physicians Alliance California Primary Care Association California Public Health Association-North California Public Health Association-South Capitol Medical Society Community Health Partnership Health & Environmental Justice Project Health Access California Health Officers Association of California Health Services Agency - County of Santa Cruz Healthy Children Organizing Project Kaiser Permanente La Clinica de la Raza Latino Coalition for a Healthy California Local Health Plans of California Los Angeles Free Clinic National Latina Health Organization Native American Health Center North Coast Clinics Network Orange County Asian & Pacific Islander Community Alliance PALS for Health Physicians for Human Rights Physicians for Social Responsibility, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California Planned Parenthood Mar Monte Public Health Institute Rucker's Wellness Center Sacramento County Public Health Advisory Board San Francisco Health Commission Trust for America's Health Women's Community Clinic Women's Health Leadership

HEALTH PROFESSIONALS (titles included for identification purposes only):

Jocelyn Elders, MD, Former US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, MD, Former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, Former U.S. Surgeon General Kwabena Adubofour, MD, Fifth Street Medical Center Barbara Anderson, Loma Linda University School of Public Health Alberto Bolanos, MD, Surgeon Nancy Bowen, MD Paula Braverman, MD, MPH, Professor of Family and Community Medicine, UCSF Esteban G. Burchard, MD, UCSF Department of Medicine Dina Burrell, Staff Writer, LA County Medical Association Raul Calderon, Jr., Ph.D, Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford School of Medicine Patricia Castaneda-Davis, MD, La Clinica de la Raza Alice Chen, MD, MPH Armen Cherik, MD, MBA Eileen Chun, MD Molly J. Coye, MD, MPH, Former Director, California Department of Health Services Anissa Daws, MD, MPH, Prevention Medicine Resident, Family Physician, Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services Felipe Dominguez, MD Patricia Fajardo, RN, MPH Marty Fenstersheib, Health Officer, Santa Clara County Richard Garcia, MD Kathy Giacomini, PhD, Chair, UCSF Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences Harold Goldstein, Executive Director, California Center for Public Health Advocacy Sharon Grigsby, ED PHBT Preparedness, County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services David Hayes-Bautista, PhD, Professor, School of Medicine, UCLA Margaret Juarez, MD Andy Karter, PhD, Department of Research, Kaiser Permanente Joyce Lashof, MD, Dean Emeritus, UC Berkeley School of Public Health Phil Lee, MD, Chancellor Emeritus, UCSF; Former Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Scarlett Lin-Gomez, PhD, Northern California Cancer Center Dexter Louie, MD Edward Machtinger, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Co-Director, UCSF Fellowship in AIDS care; Assistant Director, UCSF Active Care Services Kristen Marchi, MPH, Principal Analyst, UCSF Michael McLean, MD, MS, Health Officer, Kings County, Tulare County David McNutt, MD, MPH, Health Officer, Health Services Agency-County of Santa Cruz Ray Morales, MD, Medical Director, Blue Cross of California Walter Morris, MD Nina Mulia, DrPH Carmen Nevarez, MD, MPH, Medical Director & Vice President of External Relations, Public Health Institute Richard Olshen, Stanford University, Department of Statistics Sandra Perez, MD Pierrette Mimi Poinsett, MD, Pediatrician David Pryor, MD Neil Risch, PhD, Stanford University, Department of Genetics Ruth Roemer, JD, Adjunct Professor Emerita, UCLA School of Public Health Mylene Rucker, MD Morrie Schambelan, MD, Chief, UCSF Division of Endocrinology Darryl Sexton, MD, Health Officer, City of Long Beach Dean Sheppard, MD, Director, UCSF Lung Biology Center Stephen Shortell, PhD, Dean, UC Berkeley School of Public Health Brian Smedley, PhD, National Academy of Science Frank Staggers, MD Dong Suh, Policy and Planning Director, Asian Health Services Glennah Trochet, MD, Health Officer, Sacramento County Department of Health Services Harvey M. Weinstein, MD, Associate Director, Human Rights Center & Clinical Professor, UC Berkeley School of Public Health. La Donna White, MD Elad Ziv, MD, UCSF Division of General Internal Medicine

PUBLIC OFFICIALS:

California Governor Gray Davis California Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante California Attorney General Bill Lockyer California State Treasurer Phil Angelides California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley California State Controller Steve Westley California State Superintendent of Education Jack O'Connell California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, California U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, California Former U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg James Hormel U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, 8th District, House Minority Leader U.S. Congressman Howard Berman, 26th District U.S. Congresswoman Susan Davis, 53rd District U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, 15th District U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, 9th District U.S. Congressman Robert Matsui, 5th District U.S. Congresswoman Hilda Solis, 32nd District U.S. Congresswoman Diane Watson, 33rd District California State Senator John Burton, President Pro Tem, District 3 California State Senator Richard Alarcon, District 20 California State Senator Dede Alpert, District 39 California State Senator Debra Bowen, District 28 California State Senator Gilbert Cedillo, District 22 California State Senator Wesley Chesbro, District 2 California State Senator Joseph Dunn, District 34 California State Senator Martha Escutia, District 30 California State Senator Dean Florez, District 16 California State Senator Betty Karnette, District 27 California State Senator Sheila Kuehl, District 23 California State Senator Michael Machado, District 5 California State Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny, District 40 California State Senator Kevin Murray, District 26 California State Senator Deborah Ortiz, District 6 California State Senator Don Perata, District 9 California State Senator Gloria Romero, District 24 California State Senator Jack Scott, District 21 California State Senator Byron Sher, District 11 California State Senator Nell Soto, District 32 California State Senator Jackie Speier, District 8 California State Senator Tom Torlakson, District 7 California State Senator John Vasconcellos, District 13 California State Senator Edward Vincent, District 25 California Assemblymember Herb J. Wesson, Jr.. Speaker of the Assembly California Assemblymember Wilma Chan, 16th District California Assemblymember Judy Chu, 49th District California Assemblymember Mervyn Dymally, 52nd District California Assemblymember Marco Antonio Firebaugh, 50th District California Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg, 45th District California Assemblymember Loni Hancock, 14th District California Assemblymember Jerome Horton, 51st District California Assemblymember Mark Leno, 13th District California Assemblymember Lloyd Levine, 40th District California Assemblymember Carol Liu, 44th District California Assemblymember Alan Lowenthal, 54th District California Assemblymember Cindy Montanez, 39th District California Assemblymember George Nakano, 53rd District California Assemblymember Fabien Nunez, 47th District California Assemblymember Mark Ridley-Thomas, 48th District California Assemblymember Darrell Steinberg, 9th District California Board of Equalization Chairwoman Carole Migden California Board of Equalization Member John Chiang, District 4 Alameda County Board of Supervisors Colusa County District Attorney John R. Poyner Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo Los Angeles City Board of Education Los Angeles City Councilmember Alex Padilla, President Los Angeles City Councilmember Tony Cardenas Los Angeles City Councilmember Eric Garcetti Los Angeles City Councilmember Martin Ludlow Los Angeles City Councilmember Bernard Parks Los Angeles City Councilmember Jan Perry Los Angeles City Councilmember Ed Reyes Los Angeles City Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa Los Angeles City Councilmember Jack Weiss Los Angeles City Councilmember Dennis Zine San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr. San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey San Francisco Board of Education San Francisco Board of Education Commissioner Eric Mar San Francisco Board of Supervisors San Francisco City College Board of Trustees San Mateo County Sheriff Don Horsley Santa Clara County Supervisors Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington Chico City Councilmember Dan Nguyen-Tan Culver City Board of Education Culver City Council Davis City Council Dos Palos City Chief of Police Paul (P.C.) Lopez Inglewood City Chief of Police Ronald C. Banks Oakland City Councilmember Desley Brooks Oroville City Chief of Police Mitchel "J" Brown San Diego City Council San Jose City Councilmember Terry Gregory Santa Cruz City Councilmember Cynthia Mathews Santa Monica City Chief of Police James T. Butts, Jr.

GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES:

Cruz Bustamante, Democratic Party Peter Miguel Camejo, Green Party Arianna Huffington, Independent Party Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republican Party

EDUCATION:

American Association of University Women American Association of University Women-California Associated Students of UC San Diego California Black Faculty and Staff Association California Coalition for Authentic Reform in Education California Faculty Association California Parent Teachers Association (PTA) Center for Commercial-Free Public Education Education Trust West Multicultural Education Training and Advocacy National Coalition of Education Activists National Pacific Islander Educator Network Samuel Merritt College Board of Trustees San Jose-Evergreen Community College District UCLA Graduate Students Association United States Student Association United Teachers Los Angeles University Council - American Federation of Teachers University of California Regents R. Eunice Aaron, Lecturer, San Francisco State University Roberta Ahlquist, Professor, San Jose State University Chandra S. Brahma, Professor, Civil Engineering, CSU Fresno Lewis Call, Lecturer, Department of History, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Cecil E. Canton, Professor, CSU Sacramento Dorothy Chen-Maynard, Program Director, CSU San Bernadino James Conway, Professor, Department of Speech and Communication, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Margaret Costa, Professor, CSU Long Beach Catherine Cubbin, Ph.D. Stanford University Research Fellow Myrna Cherkess Donohue, Assistant Professor, Coordinator, Department of Women's Studies, CSU Dominguez Hills Laurie Drabble, Assistant Professor, San Jose State University Patricia Evridge Hill, Professor, San Jose State University; Secretary, California Faculty Assocation Dan Fendel, Professor of Mathematics, San Francisco State University Manzar Foroohar, Professor, Department of History, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Anthony Garavente, California Faculty Association, Carson, CA Emma C. Gibson, Librarian, Cal Poly Pomona Paul Gilmore, Lecturer, History, CSU Fresno Jan Gregory, Lecturer, San Francisco State University Leslie Grier, Assistant Professor, CSU Fullerton, John Hess, California Faculty Association, Regional Representative, Oakland California Sally Hurtado, Professor Emeritus, School of Education, Sonoma State University Elaine Kim, Associate Dean of the Graduate Division, UC Berkeley; Professor, Asian American Studies Rose Marie Kuhn, Professor, Department of French, CSU Fresno Taeku Lee, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, UC Berkeley W.M. Littell, Emeritus, San Francisco State University Judith Little, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Humboldt State University Harriet Lord, President, California Faculty Association, Cal Poly Pomona Chapter R. Jeff Lustig, Professor, Government, CSU Sacramento Christine Maitland, Organizational Specialist, National Education Association Jorge Mariscal, Associate Professor, Department of Literature, UC San Diego Chris Mays, Senior Assistant Librarian, San Francisco State Univesity Eloise McQuown, Librarian, San Francisco State University Susan Meisenhelder, President, California Faculty Association Robert D. Merill, Professor, Geologist, CSU Fresno, California Faculty Association Muogo Nyaggah, Professor, CSU Fullerton Aashish Parekh, Teacher, Compton Unified School District Elaine Peterson, Assistant Professor, CSU Stanislaus Audrena Redmond, California Faculty Association, Southern California Political Coordinator, CSU Dominguez Hills Tom Rivera, Associate Dean, CSU San Bernardino Jennifer Sanford, Staff Psychologist, Humbolt State University John J. Saraillé, Professor, CSU Stanislaus James Smith, California Faculty Association, Los Angeles, CA Bede Ssensalo, Professor, California Black Faculty and Staff Association Joseph Torres, Assistant Dean, San Francisco State University John Travis, Professor, Humboldt State University Mitch Turitz, San Francisco State University Chapter President, California Faculty Association Alma Vegor, Student Body Representative, UC Berkeley Alexander Yamato, Professor, San Jose State University Pat Zambell, Director, Lecturer Support Program, Cal Poly Pomona Patricia Zavella, Professor, Merill College, UC Santa Cruz

LABOR:

AFL-CIO California Federation of Teachers California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, Oakland California School Employees Association California Teachers Association Labor Council for Latin American Advancement Laborers' International Union of North America Los Angeles County Federation of Labor National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees Service Employees International Union 1877, Justice for Janitors Service Employees International Union California State Council Service Employees International Union, Local 2028 United Auto Workers United Farm Workers of America AFL-CIO

BUSINESS:

Blue Cross/Blue Shield Community Technology Foundation of California East Bay Municipal Utility District Health Net Kaiser Permanente Latino Business Association Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce National Association of Women Business Owners Oakland Chamber of Commerce Pacific Gas & Electric San Diego Chamber of Commerce San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce San Francisco Chamber of Commerce San Francisco Foundation San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce Sempra Energy The Women's Foundation Jim Cunneen, President & CEO, San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce F. Warren Hellman, Chairman, Hellman & Friedman LLC Chris Larsen, CEO, E-Loan Herbert and Marion Sandler, Co-CEOs, World Savings & Loan Gerald Solomon, JD, CEO, PHFE Management Solutions

ORGANIZATIONS:

A. Philip Randolph Institute ACLU of Northern California ACLU of San Diego ACLU of Southern California Alliance of Black NCR Employees American Association for Affirmative Action American GI Forum of California American Sociological Association Anti-Defamation League Architects, Planners & Designers for Social Responsibility ARIS of Santa Clara Asian American Drug Abuse Program Asian Americans for Community Involvement Association of Multi-Ethnic Americans Asian Pacific Americans for an Informed California C-Beyond: Youth Making History California Coalition for Civil Rights California Common Cause California Firefighters Association California Immigrant Welfare Collaborative California Latino Civil Rights Network California National Organization fr Women California Prison Focus California Tomorrow California Women's Agenda Californians for Justice Cambodian Association of America Center for Third World Organizing Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment Centro Shalom Chinese for Affirmative Action Chinese Progressive Association Coalition for Economic Equity Coalition for Humane Immigrants Rights of Los Angeles Communities United Against Violence Community Development Institute Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. Drug Policy Alliance Network Ella Baker Center for Human Rights Equal Justice Society Equal Rights Advocates Equality California Fresno Center for Nonviolence Gay / Straight Alliance Network Grayson Neighborhood Council Greenlining Institute Growing Children Hapa Issues Forum Intergroup Clearing House-Stop Hate Crimes Japanese American Citizens League Japanese American Citizens League - Pacific Southwest District Civil Rights Caucus John Gardner Center/Yell Project Justice Matters Institute Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Latino Council of Marin Latino Issues Forum Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Leadership Excellence League of Women Voters of California LTSC Community Development Corporation MALDEF - Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund Modesto Committee for Peace in the Middle East Modesto Peace/Life Center Movement Strategy Center NAACP NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund NAACP Modesto/Stanislaus National Association of Social Workers - CA Chapter National Black Police Association, Inc. National Center for Lesbian Rights National Council of La Raza National Gay and Lesbian Task Force National Latino Peace Officer's Association of Santa Clara County National Organization for Women National Organization for Women - UC Berkeley Chapter National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) National Urban League Executives Neighbor to Neighbor Northern California Citizenship Project Organization of Chinese Americans Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs People For the American Way People United for a Better Oakland PolicyLink Progressive Jewish Alliance Rock the Vote San Diego Alliance for Asian Pacific Islander Americans San Diego LGBT Community Center San Francisco Bay Area Progressive Challenge San Francisco Black Firefighters Association School of Unity and Liberation Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network South Asian Network Speak Out St. Peter's Housing Committee Student Empowerment Project Transportation and Land Use Coalition Underground Railroad Union of Concerned Scientists United Way Silicon Valley Urban Habitat Urban League - San Diego Voluntarios de la Comunidad Watts/Century Latino Organization Youth Empowerment Center Youth in Focus Youth Media Council

POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS:

Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club Americans for Democratic Action Asian American Republican Club Asian Pacific Islander Democrats of San Diego County Black American Political Association of California California Democratic Party Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club Los Angeles Democratic Party Pasadena Young Democrats Power P.A.C. Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Ronald H. Brown Democratic Club

ENVIRONMENTAL:

Asian Pacific Environmental Network BlueWater Network Butte Environmental Council California Communities Against Toxics California Environmental Rights Alliance California League of Conservation Voters Center for Environmental Health Clean Water Action Communities for a Better Environment Ecology Center Ecology Law Center Environmental Defense Environmental Health Coalition Environmental Justice Coalition Environmental Justice Coalition for Water Natural Resources Defense Council Planning and Conservation League Sierra Club Sillicon Valley Toxics Coalition

LEGAL COMMUNITY:

Alameda County Bar Association Asian Law Alliance Asian Law Caucus Asian Pacific American Bar Association Asian Pacific American Legal Center Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles California Association of Black Lawyers California Women Lawyers California Women's Law Center Centro Legal de la Raza Charles Houston Bar Association Earl B. Gilliam Bar Assoc. East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego Foothills Bar Association of San Diego County International Human Rights Law Group John M. Langston Bar Association, Los Angeles La Raza Centro Legal Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Lawyers Club of San Diego Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Legal Aid Society - Employment Law Center MALDEF - Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium National Bar Association, Region IX National Center for Youth Law National Lawyers Guild National Women's Law Center Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego Public Advocates, Inc. San Diego County Bar Association San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association San Francisco Bar Association South Asian Bar Association Tom Homann Law Association La Raza Lawyers Association of Sacramento

FAITH COMMUNITY:

Bishop HH Brookins Rabbi Denise Eger, Congregation of Kol Ami Rabbi Howard Laibson, Temple Israel, Long Beach Reverend John Bryant, AME Churches Reverend William Monroe Campbell, Vice President, Baptist Ministers Conference Reverend J. Benjamin Hardwick, President, Western Baptist Convention Reverend Jesse Jackson, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Reverend Norman S. Johnson, Executive Director, Southern Christian Leadership Conference Reverend Cecil Murray, First AME Church, Los Angeles Tommie Muhammad, Minister, Nation of Islam California Council of Churches/CA Church IMPACT Community Homeless Alliance Ministry Easter Hill United Methodist Church Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace Southern Christian Leadership Conference

INDIVIDUALS (titles included for identification purposes only):

Angela M. Beck, San Francisco, CA Julian Bond, National Chair, NAACP Maria Cesena, Student, San Diego, CA Douglas Chan, Member, California Small Business Board Gregory Douglas Chew, San Francisco, CA Tyrone Freeman, President, SEIU Local 434B Danny Glover, Actor Shifra Goldman, Los Angeles, CA Don Hightower, State Coordinator, A. Philip Randolph Institute Clifford Hong, JD, Vice Co-Chair, Ethnic Minority Relations Committee, CA State Bar Rachel Jackson, State Field Director, Books Not Bars Kimberly A. Jameson, Ph.D. Del Mar, CA Firyali Makau, Community Technology Director, San Diego Urban League and San Diego Urban League Young Professionals Peter Q. Nguyen, Santa Monica, CA Joseph Pasquariello, Oakland, CA Sara Peterson, Project Direct, UCSF Rhonda Sarnoff, Policy Analyst, Berkeley, CA Erik Schnabel, Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center Patricia Soung, Program Fellow, Tides Foundation Javier Stauring, Coordinator of Juvenile Detention Ministry Judith Thigpen, Oakland, CA Thomas Wei, Berkeley JACL Civil Rights Chair, JACL Berkeley Chapter Roberta Welling, Research Scientist, Berkeley, CA

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