In 2025, the California Civil Rights Alliance (CFER) continues to advance in upholding equal rights and fair competition. At the state level, it blocked five slave reparations bills such as AB7 and AB57. In higher education, it put an end to a 42-year unconstitutional scholarship at UC San Diego.
CFER was established to defend Proposition 209 in California. In 1996, with 55.2% of Californians’ support, California became the first state in the U.S. to explicitly prohibit discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, gender, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public education, employment, or contracting.
In 2020, despite California voters rejecting Proposition 16, which aimed to overturn Proposition 209, with 57.2% of the vote, CFER recognized the underlying currents and the need to continue its mission to defend equality.
On October 13, Governor Newsom vetoed five bills, including AB7 providing university admissions preferences for descendants of slaves, AB57 providing affordable housing for descendants of slaves, AB62 compensating victims and descendants of “racially discriminatory land takings,” and AB742 granting licensing privileges to descendants of slaves.
ACA7 was also blocked in the state legislature. This bill aimed to bypass Proposition 209, allowing California to fund research projects or specific cultures based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, or marginalized gender (transgender) and sexual orientation to improve the conditions of these communities.
CFER’s press release stated, “This victory is due to the collective efforts of many stakeholders, including you!” Apart from the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) and CFER, two organizations publicly opposing slave reparations, CFER Executive Vice President Gail Heriot initiated a postcard campaign to lobby against the proposals. Brita Lindstrom supported the campaign, while Greg Burt from the California Family Council and Andrew Quinio from the PLF testified in the state legislature.
The California Black Legislative Group introduced eight bills, three of which, signed by the governor, have become California law: SB510 on ethnic studies, SB518 establishing the Bureau of African American Affairs, and SB437 allocating $6 million to the California State University (CSU) for reparations research related to slavery or its descendants.
The movement for slave reparations in California continues, with CFER noting that three new laws are taxpayer-funded for “research and education.” They will monitor the future developments of these laws, while the five rejected bills focused on implementing reparations.
In July this year, CFER launched a lawsuit challenging the “Black Academic Excellence Initiative” (BAEI) racial discrimination scholarship, and on October 15, they won the case. Defendants included the University of California Board of Regents, UC San Diego, and the Black Alumni Scholarship Fund. On October 21, the California School Boards Association conveyed to its members the permanent cancellation of the BAEI scholarship.
The lawsuit argued that BAEI was only for “admitted black undergraduate students,” but as UC funding comes from California taxpayers, scholarships should provide economic support and mentorship to eligible UCSD students regardless of race.
“We are pleased to see scholarship programs no longer based on racial standards, a practice that should not exist in the American university system,” said Jack Brown, a lawyer representing CFER from PLF. “We are honored to advocate for equal rights for university students.”
On October 14, the Palomar College board, with a 3-2 vote, repealed the previous board’s “anti-racism” policy and established a committee to draft an alternative. Following the George Floyd incident and other national violence events, in January 2021, the board passed Resolution BP3000, signaling the college’s commitment to combating white supremacy and racism.
The three directors who voted in favor faced insults, jeers, and condemnation, with CFER Chairman and Palomar resident Xu Jiehe being among the few to commend the decision. Local teacher unions and other progressive forces organized a massive opposition movement, where faculty and students spoke out, but the board stood firm against the pressure.
Xu Jiehe said, “I hope the board continues to vote to abolish this policy, while also continuing to combat discrimination on campus, ensuring that every student and faculty member receives equal treatment and opportunities, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or color.” ◇