State assembly urges repeal of SP-1

By Hemesh Patel
Daily Bruin Staff

A group of California assembly members proposed legislation last
week urging the UC Board of Regents to repeal SP-1, the 1995
measure that ended the use of affirmative action in admissions
throughout the university.

Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, and Assemblyman Marco A.
Firebaugh, D-Huntington Park, introduced ACR 21 Feb. 16.

This action comes at a time when Regent William Bagley, the main
proponent behind the effort to repeal SP-1, said the regents will
vote on the issue during their meeting in May.

Although the legislation is not directed at Proposition 209, the
voter initiative that ended the use of affirmative action
throughout the state, law-makers are applauding it for the symbolic
value it will have if it is passed.

“Even though it’s a symbolic gesture, it’s
important for regents to say that affirmative action is not the
enemy,” said State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica,
principal co-author of the resolution.

Since the end of affirmative action, the number of
underrepresented minorities admitted to top UCs has declined.

Henry Contreras, chief of staff for Firebaugh, said Proposition
209 has led to a “chilling effect” and is causing a
brain drain in the university.

“A lot of people are not happy with its effects, and so
less people are applying,” he said. “It’s not
good for California.”

By repealing SP-1, proponents hope that its effect will be
diminished or eliminated completely.

“If they repeal SP-1, it will show that the majority of
regents have changed their minds,” said Chand Viswanathan,
faculty representative for the UC regents. “It will not make
much of a difference with how the university operates.”

Others see the bill having the potential to bring about change
and awareness in the state.

“It’s more than a symbolic gesture,” Contreras
said. “The legislation can’t require the regents to do
anything ““ it’s a request for the regents to repeal
SP-1.”

He said if SP-1 is repealed, it will open up debate on the issue
of affirmative action.

The bill notes that in the fall of 1999, underrepresented
minorities, including African Americans, Latinos, and American
Indians made up 15.4 percent of all incoming freshman students
““ a percentage less than their representation in the general
population of the state.

“We don’t want to get back to pre-civil rights era
where it was almost impossible for minorities to get into the
university,” Contreras said.

The bill stated that the number of African American students who
applied to law school at UC Berkeley, UC Davis and UCLA dropped 52
percent from 1,105 to 531, from fall 1994 to fall 2000.

“I think its important to note that there’s support
for the repeal of SP-1,” said student Regent Justin Fong.
“These people not only control the state budget for the UC
but are also accountable to the voters of California.”

When voters in California approved Proposition 209, some
government officials, including Kuehl, believed people were
misinformed.

She said she doesn’t know if the people of California are
ready to repeal Proposition 209.

“I thought it was always disingenuous that affirmative
action ever hurt any person and that it wasn’t needed,”
said Kuehl. “Simple GPA and SAT does not measure
people’s readiness for success at UCLA.”

She said when she was at UCLA in the ’60s, ’70s, and
’80s, she saw people of color who came from areas where
poverty was prevalent.

A vote on the resolution hasn’t been scheduled yet.

EXCERPTS FROM ACR 21 The bill was introduced
Feb.16 to ask the UC Regents to repeal SP-1 "Whereas, The
University of California is committed to enrolling a student body
reflective of the diversity of the state and Whereas, It is vital
to the future economic growth of the state of California that equal
educational opportunities are available to all Californians"
"Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the
Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature of the State
of California officially requests the Regents of the University of
California to repeal SP-1 by the end of the 2000-01 academic year"
ACR 21 "WHEREAS, SP-1 restricts selection criteria
at each University of California by requiring that between 50 and
75 percent of each class be selected based on academic achievement
alone. and thereby restricts the ability of the UC to rigorously
and comprehensively review all applicants and take into
consideration criteria such as social and economic hardship"
SOURCE: California State Assembly Original graphic by VICTOR
CHEN/Daily Bruin Web adaptation by NATALIE DAVIS