Current:Home > MarketsCalifornia governor vetoes bill that would have banned caste discrimination-LoTradeCoin
California governor vetoes bill that would have banned caste discrimination
View Date:2024-12-23 16:17:29
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Saturday that would have made California the first U.S. state to outlaw caste-based discrimination.
Caste is a division of people related to birth or descent. Those at the lowest strata of the caste system, known as Dalits, have been pushing for legal protections in California and beyond. They say it is necessary to protect them from bias in housing, education and in the tech sector — where they hold key roles.
Earlier this year, Seattle became the first U.S. city to add caste to its anti-discrimination laws. On Sept. 28, Fresno became the second U.S. city and the first in California to prohibit discrimination based on caste by adding caste and indigeneity to its municipal code.
In his message Newsom called the bill “unnecessary,” explaining that California “already prohibits discrimination based on sex , race, color , religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics, and state law specifies that these civil rights protections shall be liberally construed.”
“Because discrimination based on caste is already prohibited under these existing categories, this bill is unnecessary,” he said in the statement.
A United Nations report in 2016 said at least 250 million people worldwide still face caste discrimination in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Pacific regions, as well as in various diaspora communities. Caste systems are found among Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Muslims and Sikhs.
In March, state Sen. Aisha Wahab, the first Muslim and Afghan American elected to the California Legislature, introduced the bill. The California law would have included caste as a sub-category under “ethnicity” — a protected category under the state’s anti-discrimination laws.
Opponents, including some Hindu groups, called the proposed legislation “unconstitutional” and have said it would unfairly target Hindus and people of Indian descent. The issue has divided the Indian American community.
Earlier this week, Republican state Sens. Brian Jones and Shannon Grove called on Newsom to veto the bill, which they said will “not only target and racially profile South Asian Californians, but will put other California residents and businesses at risk and jeopardize our state’s innovate edge.”
Jones said he has received numerous calls from Californians in opposition.
“We don’t have a caste system in America or California, so why would we reference it in law, especially if caste and ancestry are already illegal,” he said in a statement.
Grove said the law could potentially open up businesses to unnecessary or frivolous lawsuits.
Proponents of the bill launched a hunger strike in early September pushing for the law’s passage. Thenmozhi Soundararajan, executive director of Equality Labs, the Oakland-based Dalit rights group that has been leading the movement to end caste discrimination nationwide, said the goal of the fast is to end caste bias in every area, including employment and housing.
“We do this to recenter in our sacred commitment to human dignity, reconciliation and freedom and remind the governor and the state of the stakes we face if this bill is not signed into law,” she said.
A 2016 Equality Labs survey of 1,500 South Asians in the U.S. showed 67% of Dalits who responded reported being treated unfairly because of their caste.
A 2020 survey of Indian Americans by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace found caste discrimination was reported by 5% of survey respondents. While 53% of foreign-born Hindu Indian Americans said they affiliate with a caste group, only 34% of U.S.-born Hindu Indian Americans said they do the same.
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
veryGood! (867)
Related
- Watch as dust storm that caused 20-car pileup whips through central California
- 'Time' magazine names Taylor Swift its 2023 Person of the Year
- Suspect in custody after 6 dead and 3 injured in series of attacks in Texas, authorities say
- The Suite Life of Zack & Cody's Kim Rhodes Says Dylan Sprouse Refused to Say Fat Joke on Set
- West Virginia governor-elect Morrisey to be sworn in mid-January
- A group of Norwegian unions says it will act against Tesla in solidarity with its Swedish colleagues
- Halle Bailey Expresses Gratitude to Supporters Who Are “Respectful of Women’s Bodies”
- Stock market today: Asian shares surge as weak US jobs data back hopes for an end to rate hikes
- Princess Kate makes rare public appearance after completing cancer chemo
- 'Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé' is maximalist excellence
Ranking
- Lou Donaldson, jazz saxophonist who blended many influences, dead at 98
- DeSantis appointees accuse Disney district predecessors of cronyism; Disney calls them revisionist
- U.S. charges Russian soldiers with war crimes for allegedly torturing American in Ukraine
- A 9-year-old wanted to honor her dog that died. So she organized a pet drive for shelters.
- Veterans face challenges starting small businesses but there are plenty of resources to help
- Mega Millions winning numbers for Dec. 5 drawing; Jackpot now at $395 million
- In a year of book bans, Maureen Corrigan's top 10 affirm the joy of reading widely
- Charged Lemonade at Panera Bread being blamed for second death, family files lawsuit
Recommendation
-
'I know how to do math': New Red Lobster CEO says endless shrimp deal is not coming back
-
Maryland attorney general wants new hearing in gun licensing case
-
Biden to sign executive order on federal funding for Native Americans
-
Indonesia volcano death toll rises to 23 after rescuers find body of last missing hiker on Mount Marapi
-
US Congress hopes to 'pull back the curtain' on UFOs in latest hearing: How to watch
-
Daddy Yankee says he's devoting himself to Christianity after retirement: 'Jesus lives in me'
-
Fantasia Barrino Reflects on Losing Everything Twice Amid Oscar Buzz
-
A little electric stimulation in just the right spot may bolster a damaged brain