A measure that would ban California private nonprofit colleges from giving admissions preferences to students whose family members donated money to or attended the school cleared the Legislature and is now before Gov. Newsom.
As CalMatters higher education reporter Mikhail Zinshteyn explains, the bill was born out of a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that effectively ended affirmative action in college admissions. Its author, Democratic Assemblymember Philip Ting of San Francisco said he wanted to ensure students were getting into colleges based on merit and “not because of their pocketbooks, of their parents or their family members.”
If signed into law, the bill would impact about a half-dozen private institutions (none of California’s public universities consider legacies). Last fall, six colleges admitted about 2,100 students based in part because of legacy or donor ties. The Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities opposed the bill, citing concerns over the state imposing admission standards for private universities.
Learn more about the legacy admissions bill in Mikhail’s story.
In other legislative news:
Reviewing prison sentences: Thursday, CalMatters reported on hot-button bills and the impact they could have in an election year. One of those proposals, by Campbell Democratic Sen. Dave Cortese, would allow those serving life sentences in a narrow set of circumstances to appeal for early release. Assembly Democrats did not take up the amended bill, reports CalMatters’ Sameea Kamal.
- Cortese, in an interview: “This was a bill to actually make a significant change in a law that’s been around and has caused some problems over the last 20 years. But when you’re going to change the justice system, you know it’s always going to be a tough decision for people. … My view is, I didn’t come up here to duck the tough decisions.”
Republicans celebrated the bill’s demise, however.
- Assembly GOP leader James Gallagher, in a statement: “I’m proud we were able to amplify the voices of victims demanding justice, and grateful for the unwavering support from members of law enforcement and district attorneys who helped kill this harmful bill.”
Bill tracker: More bills are headed to the governor and CalMatters is keeping tabs on them. The latest: