Editorial: Students can’t allow Prop. 54 to slip through

The Racial Privacy Initiative ““ a shortsighted California
proposal that would outlaw the public collection of race data
““ is now officially identified on the upcoming October recall
ballot as Proposition 54. That leaves a little over 60 days for
students to campaign against the initiative, down from the seven
months they had originally planned on.

So far, most of the attention has been dedicated to the gaggle
of potential contenders on the recall ballot. But lost amid that
jumble of choices, Proposition 54 threatens to pass through
undetected.

Many people from diverse backgrounds agree this law would cause
more harm than good. If it passes, universities could not track
minority admissions, hospitals could not easily track patient
trends, and researchers would have to scrounge for unofficial
demographic data.

It is impossible to predict exactly how the election will turn
out, but two things are certain: The Davis recall issue will
receive the majority of the press coverage, and Proposition 54
supporters will work hard to spin the law as a way to make
California “color blind.”

These challenges will make it even more difficult for students
to defeat Proposition 54, but the university is depending on them
to try. Register to vote. Participate in student organizations
lobbying against the initiative. Help your friends register to
vote. Step up the campaigning.

Already, a bi-partisan assortment of student and university
leaders have come out against the initiative. In the past spring
student government elections, fighting against the RPI was among
the most frequently mentioned campaign promises by members of both
campus slates. In May, the Board of Regents voted overwhelmingly to
oppose it, saying it would cripple the university’s ability
to do research.

Without the data, administrators and citizens will be unable to
identify trends in admissions and retention, which means
dramatically higher or lower numbers of minorities may begin
attending state schools, but no one will be able to officially
quantify the changes.

Motivated by a chance to recall Davis, a large number of voters
may turn out to recall the governor, and in all likelihood, these
voters may be attracted by a chance to legally do away with a
“race-based” society, just as they attempted to do with
Proposition 209.

But all voters, conservative, liberal or otherwise ““ and
regardless of their view of affirmative action ““ should be
wary of the this “privacy initiative.”

Even Thomas Wood, the author of Proposition 209, which outlawed
affirmative action in California, opposes Proposition 54, saying
that it would make Proposition 209 difficult to enforce.

California is not yet a race-blind society. Racism, segregation
and inequality seethes below the surface of a seemingly egalitarian
and integrated society. Proposition 54 will not help ease tensions
or promote equality ““ rather, it will simply push problems
further below the public field of view.

With 64 days ticking before the Oct. 7 election, students will
have only eight days to lobby on campus after school begins. A
successful campaign against the initiative will have to begin now,
and voter registration drives are a good start.

When Proposition 209 passed in 1996, surveys indicated voters
would have opposed the initiative if they had been fully aware of
its consequences. Students can’t let Proposition 54 turn out
the same way.