Racist opposition to this Assembly bill proves hate still thrives in liberal California | Opinion

The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board
·4 min read
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The recent submission of a blatantly racist letter in opposition to Assembly Bill 2319 by the Imperial Grand Ayran Council of California and the Western United White Knights is a vile intrusion of morally and socially unacceptable politics into our state governance and should be condemned with the harshest possible words. Hate has no place in our society.

AB 2319, also known as the “California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act” would require the California Department of Public Health to institute and maintain services aimed at reducing infant mortality and improving the health of mothers and children, especially concerning the implicit bias and racial disparities in maternal mortality rates. It would also be the first time the California Legislature formally recognized all people who give birth, including nonbinary and transgender people.

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There is some concern that highlighting this letter will bring undue attention to the actions of a few fringe political agitants in the state, but this editorial board — and lawmakers across the state — would be remiss to simply whisper our disgust among ourselves and let this letter live without a public shaming.

California’s values of diversity, equality and equity are under attack every day in our state, and yet, in Sacramento, we often turn our back on blatant demonstrations of racism, perhaps because we believe those values are held by a minority.

But any form of hate, whether it is racist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic, transphobic or any other, should never go unchallenged. This particular hate was written on official letterhead and is now permanently entered into the legislative record, and so it must now be condemned as loudly as possible.

The letter first came to public attention when the California Assembly Republican caucus denounced it, calling it “hate speech” that “has no place in our legislative process, or anywhere in society.”

“Hate speech is dangerous, divisive and an affront to everything California stands for,” the Republican statement read. “We reject the hateful ideology behind this disturbing letter, and stand together as Californians against racism.”

Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City, who introduced the bill and is also chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, also condemned the letter, writing that it was “not only offensive but deeply disturbing.”

“The language used in this letter is not only disgraceful but dangerous and has no place in our society or legislative discourse,” Wilson wrote. “I want to make it unequivocally clear: there is no place for hate in California.”

The letter is a stark reminder that hate and intolerance are alive and flourishing in the furthest regions of a state nationally known for its progressive values. In some cases, hate speech flourishes in rural areas of California, in virtual news deserts, where there is little coverage or accountability.

And if Republican lawmakers genuinely condemn hatred, then they should work to dismantle it in their party.

In Shasta County, for example, far-right ideology has taken control of all local governance. The county’s Board of Supervisors passed a measure to allow concealed weapons in local government buildings, attempted to hire a California secessionist as its chief executive, and dismissed a Republican supervisor for not being conservative enough.

Recently, the far-right chair of the board, Kevin Crye, survived a recall by a mere 50 votes, after he pushed unfounded claims of voter fraud and attempted to return the county to a manual hand tally, which is an outdated and error-prone method. The decision inspired a new state law, Assembly Bill 969, which forbids county supervisors from removing their voting system without a state or federally-recognized replacement.

Elsewhere in the same county, journalist Doni Chamberlain was assaulted at a public meeting of conservative activists last year. She says she suffered a concussion, whiplash and a neck injury, but the Shasta County District Attorney has announced he will not pursue a case for a lack of evidence, despite Chamberlain’s video recording and numerous witnesses to the event. (Chamberlain was recently named the Sacramento Press Club’s recipient for its 2024 Courage in Journalism award.)

Such events as these and the appalling letter from last week demonstrate why intolerance and hate should always be challenged and condemned. When it isn’t, people are threatened, rights are trampled and California’s values of diversity, equality and equity come under attack.