BILL NUMBER:  AB 176
  VETOED	DATE: 10/07/2015




To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 176 without my signature.

Assembly Bill 176 would require the Regents of the University of
California, the Trustees of the California State University, the
Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges and the
Department of Managed Health Care to collect and report demographic
information for Asians, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders by
specified ethnic categories after the next census.

To be sure, there is value in understanding data on race, ethnicity,
gender and other aspects of identity. On a broad level, these
demographic data can signal important changes in society. On a
practical level, they can help elucidate how our laws and programs
can be shaped to reflect a changing population.

Despite this utility, I am wary of the ever growing desire to
stratify. Dividing people into ethnic or other subcategories may
yield more information, but not necessarily greater wisdom about what
actions should follow. To focus just on ethnic identity may not be
enough.

CSU, community colleges, and UC already provide many ways in which to
self-identify, including choosing among several ethnic identities.
In the case of CSU, there are 50 choices for API applicants alone.
Codifying the collection and reporting of at least 12 API groups
several years into the future appears unnecessary, or at least
premature.

Sincerely,



Edmund G. Brown Jr.