Some encouraging news as we wrap up the first week of September! **On Wednesday (9/3), CFER joined Friends of Lowell Foundation, the Asian American Legal Foundation, and Connected SF in a  [lawsuit](https://us.list-manage.com/Nj9Kr4hB4tA?e=0111f1f5cd&c2id=32c78aa0f97a8d347253cfda069d9835)  challenging the ethnic studies mandate adopted by the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD)**.  
  
Filed originally by the Friends of Lowell Foundation, our lawsuit seeks to **challenge and invalidate SFUSD Board’s curriculum adoption procedures** as improper procedures in violation of the Brown Act, denial of parental rights in reviewing instructional materials, and unlawful use of restricted voter-approved funds. While the curriculum raised fierce opposition from parents and negative news [coverage](https://us.list-manage.com/SHr20joF7OB?e=0111f1f5cd&c2id=32c78aa0f97a8d347253cfda069d9835), **the school board rushed to approve it in April 2026, merely nine months after SFUSD introduced an equally controversial pilot in July 2025.**  
  
Represented by **James Sutton of Rutan & Tucker LLP, the law firm which previously represented the Friends of Lowell Foundation in another successful lawsuit challenging SFUSD's elimination of Lowell High School's merit-based admissions**, this lawsuit is timely and important. With this new coalition of co-plaintiffs including state-wide advocacy groups and local grassroots organizations, we want to demonstrate the broad-based nature of the public outcries against both **the ideological hijacking of ethnic studies and SFUSD’s disregard for academic transparency as well as parental rights.**  
  
The lawsuit names as defendants: the San Francisco Board of Education, San Francisco Unified School District and SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su. Currently, SFUSD requires that **all ninth-grade students complete a two-semester ethnic studies course**. The adopted curriculum, entitled Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey has met intense public criticisms for [slanting](https://us.list-manage.com/Y1LQQz98b1e?e=0111f1f5cd&c2id=32c78aa0f97a8d347253cfda069d9835) decisively towards the progressive left.  
  
In suing the school district, we seek to challenge the legality and legitimacy of how this problematic curriculum was adopted. We will prevail in this pursuit. Please stay tuned with us so that we can update you on this case.  
  
Thank you for your continued support and trust!

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CFER joins the lawsuit against San Francisco Unified to challenge ethnic studies mandate

We have some terrible news on ACA 7 - the California Legislature’s latest attempt to take apart Proposition 209 in its important, educational provisions. **On Sunday (August 30th), the State Assembly  [voted](https://us.list-manage.com/r6d7AozB3W3?e=0111f1f5cd&c2id=32c78aa0f97a8d347253cfda069d9835) 59-to-19 (1 no vote recored), along partisan lines, to approve non-substantive changes to the bill, following the State Senate’s partisan vote for it on August 27th.** This means that **ACA 7 will be placed on the state ballot in 2028** and it will be once again up to **Californian voters to decide whether or not race-based affirmative action in education should be legal**.  
  
Time and again, politically and ideologically progressive state lawmakers have tried to weaken California’s state constitutional guarantee of equal protection - codified via the historic passage of Prop. 209 in 1996. In 2014, **SCA 5 - a Senate-led attempt to repeal its higher education provisions - was defeated** in the State Assembly. In 2020, **Prop. 16** - the blanket repeal of Prop. 209 - **went down in flames as 9.65 million Californians said no** with their votes. In 2024, the **previous ACA 7 - another legislative measure to provide “research-based/ -informed” pathways to exempt Prop. 209 - also failed**.  
  
We believe that, **with hard work, persistence and sufficient awareness building, this new measure can be stopped on the ballot.** But **we need to get to work to educate Californian voters on the issue right away**! Six years ago, proponents of Prop. 16, from national politicians to corporate giants to Hollywood stars, mustered **a $31-million war chest to try to make discrimination legal**. There is no reason for us to believe that they won’t do it again. In fact, with growing grievances against the national political climate on the far left and their past failure of Prop. 16, we believe that **agents for racial spoils and preferences will double down their fundraising and campaigning efforts.**  
  
Unlike the other side, we have t**he truth, facts, and a growing majority of the people on our side**. And in contrast to the emergency situation in 2020 in which we only had a few months until the voters decided on Prop. 16, **we are on the job right now!** Our **CFER team has been working diligently since last year to bring awareness to ACA 7.**  
  
**You can help us and we need your help**. Help us spread the word on ACA 7’s progress with the following actions:

1.  **Connect us with local advocacy groups and voluntary associations** so that we can alert them to ACA 7. You can email me at  [wenyuan.wu@cferfoundation.org](mailto:wenyuan.wu@cferfoundation.org)for the connections.
    
2.  **Follow CFER and CFER leaders on social media** for future action alerts. Our X handles are:  **@CA4equalrights, @GailHeriot, @wu_wenyuan**.
    
3.  Make  **a tax deductible  [donation](https://us.list-manage.com/lJvoT29e0Ks?e=0111f1f5cd&c2id=32c78aa0f97a8d347253cfda069d9835)  to CFER**  so that we can build up  **an effective voter education program**. With your support, we can grow our media presence and social media footprints. We can reach out to more voters and let them know  **what Prop. 209 is and does and what this repeal would mean for California**.
    

For the last six years, CFER has stood firm on the frontline pushing back against attacks on Prop. 209, in the court of justice and in the court of public opinions. We have taken public agencies to  [court](https://us.list-manage.com/7lxvSHAWb83?e=0111f1f5cd&c2id=32c78aa0f97a8d347253cfda069d9835) to stop the abuse of taxpayer funds for racial discrimination. We have  [monitored](https://us.list-manage.com/tWGPwh5lbVr?e=0111f1f5cd&c2id=32c78aa0f97a8d347253cfda069d9835)  the State Legislature and alerted the public to various dangerous proposals, many of which failed partly due to our efforts. We have  [published](https://us.list-manage.com/104F9WpWkmr?e=0111f1f5cd&c2id=32c78aa0f97a8d347253cfda069d9835)  hundreds of columns and opinion pieces, helping shape the public consensus on equality, merit and freedom.  **We could have not accomplished any of that without your continued support or encouragement.**  **Will you continue to support CFER as we continue to defend equal rights against the incoming threat of ACA 7 onto the state ballot?**  
  
Thank you in advance!

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Breaking Bad News ! ACA 7, another attack on equality, heads to 2028 ballot. There’s time but we need your help NOW!


You may have heard the name “Corey Jackson” from CFER’s previous communications. **Assemblymember Corey Jackson**, first elected to the State Legislature in 2022 and reelected in 2024, has been **a longtime foe to Prop. 209 and equality**. In 2023, Asm. Jackson was the leading author of the failed [ACA 7](https://legiscan.com/CA/votes/ACA7/2023) which had sought to provide a “research-based/ informed” exemption mechanism to Prop. 209. In 2025, he introduced the **new [ACA 7](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/06/10/rafael-perez-aca-7-is-a-pointless-rollback-of-californias-anti-discrimination-laws/), a partial repeal of Prop. 209 in its educational provisions.**

  

During ACA 7’s [hearing](https://youtu.be/k0msOROhKEk?si=OWjvsgVQBih1RNUM) at the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee on June 9, 2026, Asm. Jackson **went off with an emotional monologue when Asm. Steven Choi, a first-generation immigrant from South Korea challenged the notion of using racial preferences to address racial discrimination.** Asm. Jackson yelled,

  

“There is a difference between your experience and my experience. My ancestors didn’t come here by choice. They are not immigrants. They were forced here… My ancestors as well as our Native American brothers and sisters were systematically stripped from their culture, their history, their religion, and their language. It was systematically done and enforced by the Supreme Court and by this government, including the State of California… Ever since after, **institutions have systemically oppressed and marginalized black people**.”

  

Such an outcry on grievances and victimhood stands in sharp contrast to a shocking news story regarding a nonprofit organization founded by the Assemblyman. **Earlier this month, the Center Against Racism and Trauma ([CART](https://www.destroyracism.org/anti-racism-initiatives)), a Riverside-based boutique nonprofit [created](https://californiaglobe.com/fl/report-california-assemblyman-steers-6-million-to-his-own-nonprofit/) by Asm. Jackson, was [awarded](https://x.com/LauraPowellEsq/status/2091690523048480871) $6 million by the California State Legislature.** The generous grant, from taxpayers-funded General Fund, is supposed to help CART “**expand anti-racism programming and trauma-recovery resources in the Inland Empire**.”

  

One must ask: Where is the marginalization and where is the systematic oppression in this case?

  

To put things into perspective, CART was launched by Asm. Jackson in 2019 and started being active after 2020, seizing the racial-reckoning moment of Black Lives Matter. To accomplish its mission of fighting “against all forms of racism,” CART engages in “systems change,” “community action,” and “youth development.” The organization [defines](https://www.destroyracism.org/what-is-racism) racism as “[p]rejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.” Its website also provides definitions of “anti-racism,” “white privilege,” “white supremacy,” white fragility,”... In the last few years, CART has [platformed](https://www.destroyracism.org/events) prominent “scholars,” including **Angela Davis, Ibram X. Kendi, Robin DeAngelo and Dolores Huerta.**

  

Notably, CART’s most recent 990 [shows](https://californiaglobe.com/fl/report-california-assemblyman-steers-6-million-to-his-own-nonprofit/) a $258,501 in revenue in 2024, a reasonable figure considering its small size and limited operational scope. Last month, CART hosted its annual antiracism summit [online](https://youtu.be/4ok5o6pn438?si=OBh04AY1zOa7TFgv), featuring Asm. Jackson as its keynote speaker. Reportedly, CART had spent [$44,720](https://x.com/LauraPowellEsq/status/2091690523048480871) on one of its previous zoom summits. In May, **Asm. Jackson, who [chairs](https://jackson.asmdc.org/committees) the California Legislature Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Human Services** and sits on the Budget Committee, welcomed CART representatives to the State Legislature where they **received the “Nonprofit of the Year” Award.**

  

As the newest threat to California’s equal protection guarantee makes its way to the Senate floor for a vote, the State Legislature’s staunchest opponent to Prop. 209 has been found to be in active collaboration with **an ideologically aligned nonprofit that just became the recipient of $6 million in public funding.** Did the organization bid for the slush fund - **courtesy of California taxpayers including many immigrants whom the Assemblyman disparaged as insufficiently marginalized**, on the basis of **merit? Grift? Collusion?** You can draw your own conclusions.

  

One thing is clear. **Absent any state funding support and against the political, cultural and corporate establishment, as we faced in 2020 in the “No on 16” battle, CFER is further resolved to defend Prop. 209 and equality.** We have not stopped and will continue to raise public awareness on why California and America need equality. You can support us with a kind [donation](https://www.cferfoundation.org/support) today. You can also [join](https://members.cferfoundation.org/) CFER as a valuable member!

  

Thank you in advance!

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Public service or else? Six million taxpayer funds awarded to nonprofit founded by Assemblymember Corey Jackson


Parents and community members in the San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) achieved another great victory in local organizing recently. On August 6th,**the school board  [voted](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/08/10/san-dieguito-board-passes-resolution-asking-uc-system-to-reinstate-standardized-tests-in-admissions/) 4-0 (1 absent) to adopt a district-wide resolution, urging the University of California (UC) system to reinstate standardized testing for undergraduate admissions in STEM fields.** With the passage of such an unprecedented statement, **SDUHSD has allied itself with both the UC Academic Senate and nearly 2,000 UC professors** who [signed](https://mindingthecampus.org/2026/07/07/restoring-academia-requires-an-unlikely-alliance/) a petition for the same purpose.  
  
On August 12th, five UC regent candidates - for either first appointment or re-appointment - [appeared](https://www.senate.ca.gov/media-archive) before the California Senate Rules Committee for their confirmation hearing. In a surprising reversal of stances, f**ormer UC Regents Chair Janet Reilly - who was instrumental in approving UC’s test-blind plan in 2020 - went on the record to say that the Board of Regents is “completely open” to considering reinstating the tests.** Other candidates also weighed in with more favorable views (than previously) towards standardized testing and academic revival. For instance, first-time appointee Regent Rusty Areias noted that he has gotten many messages from “physics teachers” concerned about **students not knowing “basic algebra”** and “social science teachers” worried that “**kids can’t read and write**.”  
  
One might rightfully conclude with a certain level of optimism about the future of higher education in California. But it is important to bear in mind that progress does not happen in a vacuum. Six years ago, UC Regents capitulated to the political winds of racial reckoning and disregarded its own Academic Senate in eliminating tests for admissions. This week, current and incoming regents changed positions because they are responding to media and public opinions fallouts from the faculty petition.  
  
**Just as individual UC professors have forced these higher education administrators to contend with academic declines as a result of the test-blind movement, parents and local advocates are behind SDUHSD’s passage of the test-reinstating resolution.** For months prior to the Board’s vote last week, local stakeholders had put together compelling evidence and lobbied the school board trustees diligently. To effectively curate and disseminate information, organizers, notably those from the Asian American Parent Alliance of San Diego, launched an informative [website](https://bringbackthesat.com/) entitled “Bring Back the SAT.” The website documents quantitative evidence of academic declines at UC and provides **a customizable resolution [kit](https://bringbackthesat.com/resolution-kit)  for other school districts.** The resolution kit includes: a board resolution template ready for any school board to adopt, a background data brief, sample Q&As, full citable source list, and framing references for local media outreach. **Not only has this grassroots initiative succeeded in facilitating the local board resolution, it has also offered tangible resources for parents and advocates elsewhere!**  
  
Friend, may this encouraging story from the San Dieguito Union High School District become a solid beginning for a much-needed, bottom-up movement for reclaiming merit and equality in education. If you are interested in learning more, please visit **[https://bringbackthesat.com/](https://bringbackthesat.com/).** You can also reach out to CFER directly with your feedback, observations and suggestions.  
  
Thank you!

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Proactive local organizing prompts school board to adopt a resolution for bringing SAT/ACT back to UC admissions

We have some exciting news to share with you today. **California State Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh of Inland Empire will join us at CFER’s upcoming** [**conference**](https://www.cferfoundation.org/conference/2026) **on July 24 and July 25 in Orange County**. If you have not signed up, please **email CFER at info@cferfoundation.org today** so that we can include you on our list of conference participants.  
  
Senator Ochoa Bogh is a strong ally to CFER’s cause of equality. In 2020, when the Senator was a school board member at the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District, she [supported](https://youtu.be/66Eg22zVsGo?si=b3ArxaBmFIRGKVLj) the No on 16 campaign to defend Prop. 209 and spoke passionately about the American Dream. During her tenure in the State Senate, notably as the Vice Chair of the Senate Education Committee, Senator Ochoa Bogh has consistently advocated for equal rights. Often, she is the lone voice of reason and sanity in committee hearings, speaking forcefully and eloquently against constitutional amendments to repeal Prop. 209. Most recently, the Senator [voiced](https://youtu.be/mneZx61M6Pg?si=hC_wJW-IOJMLWSXX) concerns against ACA 7 and debated its proponents during its committee hearing on June 3rd, 2026.  
  
We are grateful to **Senator Ochoa Bogh for her persistent and heroic record of championing Prop. 209 and equality** in the State Senate. We are honored that she will address our supporters and friends at CFER’s annual conference in a couple of weeks. 

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2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Proposition 209. Prop 209’s historic passage in California codified the state’s constitutional guarantee of equal protection and spurred a civil rights movement leading to the successes of similar initiatives in other states. But Prop. 209 is under attack again in the California Legislature, with fast progress made by ACA 7—a partial repeal of Prop. 209’s education provisions. **CFER’s fourth annual conference will gather experts, reformers, elected officials, and advocates to celebrate 30 years of Prop. 209 and raise awareness about the attacks against it. **Simply write us at info@cferfoundation.org if you can join us** on July 24 and July 25 in Orange County!  

We look forward to connecting with you in person!

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Senator Ochoa Bogh to speak at CFER Conference. Join us to hear from the Senator and other distinguished speakers!

**2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Proposition 209.**  Prop 209’s historic passage in California codified the state’s constitutional guarantee of equal protection and spurred a civil rights movement leading to the successes of similar initiatives in nine other states. But Prop. 209 is under attack again in the California Legislature, with fast progress made by ACA 7—a partial repeal of Prop. 209’s education provisions. This hyper-partisan and ideologically motivated proposal stands in stark contrast to a growing public consensus for equality as well as federal policy reforms. At our fourth annual conference,  **CFER will bring together experts, reformers, elected officials, and advocates to celebrate 30 years of Prop. 209 and raise awareness about the attacks against it.**  We will unpack different layers of policies, narratives, and reforms pertaining to legislative challenges to Prop. 209 and equality. We will also discuss strategies in voter education, advocacy, media, and grassroots organizing.

Currently, many of the assaults on Prop. 209 are framed in the language of reparations. Ever since the creation of a statewide  [taskforce](https://oag.ca.gov/ab3121/members)  “to study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans,” the Golden State has led a national movement on reparations. In this most recent legislative session, the  **California Legislature Black Caucus has promoted its “Road to Repair” package of 16 reparations-themed bills**, some of which were codified in 2025 and some were vetoed by the Governor. Now, before the State Legislature enters its summer recess, progressive lawmakers are pushing through the rest of the package:

· [AB 801](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB801), proposing for the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation to identity and address “ongoing mortgage lending discrimination,” will be  [decided](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB801)  in the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 30th.
· [ACA 7](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260ACA7), the partial repeal of Prop. 209 in its education-related provisions, has been amended to appear on the 2028 state ballot, which allows the State Senate more time to vote on the proposal.

While proponents of reparations often justify their position as a “just” and “moral” one to “right historic wrongs,”  **everything about reparations in reality is about handing out government favors based on race and color**! As Senator Akilah Weber-Pierson  [stated](https://youtu.be/k0msOROhKEk?si=anhFy7cCizUbTsOV)  on the record during a committee hearing,

_Race neutral is not working for everyone.  This [ACA 7] allows California, as was stated, to have more tools in their tool belt, which was snatched away after Prop. 209…_Brown v. Board of Education_ was not about letting us all get together. It was about resources. It was about the fact that schools black and poor people went to should not get second- or third-hand materials._

Or in the words of Assemblymember Corey Jackson, “If there are groups that are falling through the cracks, we need the ability to rescued them. That’s all the Black Caucus is asking for us to do.”

If you find such rhetoric overtly politicized and divisive, you are not alone.  **CFER has been** [**fighting**](https://californiaglobe.com/articles/twitter-hate-trolls-attack-calif-for-equal-rights-foundation-exec-dir-over-reparations/)**against race-based reparations since 2022**, which is why we are so encouraged by the  [participation](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-justice-department-moves-intervene-race-discrimination-lawsuit-challenging-reparations)  of the U.S. Department of Justice in a lawsuit against housing reparations in the Evanston, Illinois. We will  **proactively seek collaboration and support from the Federal Government to help expose and challenge various reparations schemes in California**.

As we continue to raise awareness on the importance of Prop. 209 and the attacks against it, notably ACA 7,  **CFER will host a panel discussion on reparations at our upcoming** [**conference**](https://www.cferfoundation.org/conference/2026) **on July 24-25 in Orange County**. CFER Executive Vice President Gail Professor will lead the discussion. If you have not signed up to attend, please  [RSVP](https://members.cferfoundation.org/tickets/conference-2026)  today (one-day passes available).

See you next month!

You are invited! Join CFER‘s conference to celebrate 30 years of Prop. 209

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