Bergeson Lends Key Support to Controversial Proposition 209

Orange County Supervisor Marian Bergeson on Saturday endorsed Proposition 209, the so-called California Civil Rights Initiative, which would end public sector affirmative action programs.

Bergeson, one of the state’s most prominent female Republican officeholders, called the proposition a “straightforward” effort to stop public sector agencies from “discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex or ethnicity. . . . Who can be opposed to eliminating discrimination?”

Bergeson, a former state senator and unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor, endorsed the proposed state constitutional amendment at the Republican State Convention here.

Her support was warmly welcomed by Proposition 209 campaign chairman Ward Connerly, a member of the state Board of Regents, who praised her “thoughtfulness” and experience in both state and local government.

“She wanted to be assured it would not be detrimental to women, that all affirmative action would not be ended, that all outreach would not be ended,” he said. “I labored hard to convince her of all of those points.”

Connerly and Bergeson emphasized that Proposition 209 uses language similar to that of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Opponents of the initiative criticized Bergeson’s stance.

Roland Holmes of Mission Viejo, a Republican who lead an unsuccessful effort to place a rival initiative on the ballot upholding affirmative action, said assistance to women and minorities is still necessary.

“We are not in a colorblind society yet,” he said. “You need affirmative action to serve as a gateway for [women and minorities] to connect to an open society.”

Pat Ewing, campaign manager of the campaign against Proposition 209, said that language in the proposed amendment would hurt women in the state, ending a wide range of programs that help young women, including single-sex science and sports programs for girls.

“Right now, women in California are protected by a court-set equal rights standard that is higher than the federal standard against sex discrimination,” she said. “We do not want the federal standard. We want to keep the higher standard in California.”

Bergeson said that women in California have “some of the highest protections against sex discrimination in the country,” and said the proposed amendment “will not eliminate these protections.”

She said the proposal would provide “an equal playing field for women--they won’t simply be seen as part of a quota to fill. Women don’t need preferences to succeed, and their successes are diminished by the suspicion that they do.”

Proposition 209 has the support of much of the Republican Party leadership in the state. It was once seen as a device to increase turnout of conservative voters, particularly white males who see themselves as victimized by affirmative action programs.

Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) told a panel discussion that he did not believe the measure would boost turnout in the presidential contest because it already has the attention of a large majority of voters.

Pringle, who favors the proposition and believes it will pass, said he would have preferred to see its chances improved by having it placed on a spring primary ballot “where you have a more conservative electorate.”

Supervisorial candidate Todd Spitzer, who attended the convention and who also favors Proposition 209, said having the endorsement of a prominent female officeholder such as Bergeson “helps quash some of the feeling women have about the initiative.”