Oakland Department Of Race, Equity, And Prop 209

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Oakland Department Of Race, Equity, And Prop 209 – Video

When I first worked for the City of Oakland in 1987, the majority of department heads were black. That fact made it easier for African American business owners to at least be considered for city contracts.

Today, the story is vastly different. So much so that Oakland City Councilmember Desley Brooks has created an idea for an Oakland Office of Race and Equity. The idea, to monitor City of Oakland contracts to make sure people of color, particularly blacks, are getting their fair share, is a good one. But there’s one problem: California Proposition 209.

If you remember California Proposition 209, it was the child of the movement of the late 1990s to push against affirmative action policies. Thanks to Republican Governor Pete Wilson, and a powerful group of Southern California lobbyists, conservative activists, and politicians, Prop 209 was created 17 years ago to block racial, ethnic and gender preferences in public education, public employment and public contracting.

That’s the area the Oakland Office of Race and Equity focuses on.

My question is how does this Oakland Office of Race and Equity beat back a challenge from a lawsuit that would use Prop 209 as the basis for its attack?

I’m not trying to kill Desley’s plan at all, and given my own history with the City of Oakland, I do see the need for it. But the question presented by the existence of California Proposition 209 remains.

Stay tuned.
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