Setback for reparations movement as bill to give college admissions preference is vetoed
California Governor Gavin Newsom argued colleges and universities already have the ability to consider the preferences under existing law.
California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a controversial reparations bill this week that would have allowed colleges and universities to give admissions preference to applicants based on their ancestry as descendants of slaves.
The bill, AB 7, passed the legislature with comfortable margins, 55–18 in the Assembly and 30–10 in the Senate according to Politico, but was returned unsigned on Oct. 13.
In his veto letter, Newsom wrote that the measure was “unnecessary” because institutions “already have the authority” to consider such preferences under existing law.
[RELATED: Bill to allow reparations in college admissions advancing with support of lawyers’ group]
Introduced by Democratic Assemblymember Isaac G. Bryan, the legislation would have authorized California’s public and private colleges to factor lineage from American slavery into admissions decisions. Supporters called the bill a first-of-its-kind attempt to acknowledge historic harm through the college admissions process.
But legal and logistical concerns loomed large.
Opponents argued the bill would violate Proposition 209, which prohibits race-based preferences in public education.
In addition to constitutional issues, there have been questions about implementation, such as how many generations could qualify, what documentation would be required, and how to define a “descendant of slavery.”
The bill was part of a broader reparations push backed by the California Legislative Black Caucus.
Newsom’s veto comes amid broader federal scrutiny of campus diversity programs. The Trump administration has threatened to withhold over $500 million in research grants from UCLA unless the school adopts reforms tied to allegations of antisemitism and political bias.
In his message, Newsom encouraged schools to explore on their own “how, when, and if this type of preference can be adopted” under existing federal and state law.
Campus Reform reached out to Assemblymember Bryan but received no response by the time of publication.
