Midterm Election 2018: Advancement Project California’s Racial Equity Recap
The 2018 midterm elections yielded significant shifts in power in favor of a multiracial, just democracy. Historic congressional wins by Muslim, Native American, Black and Latina women are reasons to be optimistic about an emerging generation of leaders working to transform the outdated systems perpetuating political and economic injustice. However, these gains did not come easy. In one of the most closely-watched midterm elections in American history and just weeks after consecutive acts of domestic white terrorism made headlines, our country’s long, unresolved conflicts with racism remain indisputable. Increased checks and balances at the federal level may help slow this administration’s regressive policymaking, but California’s fate is in our hands. We will think beyond the partisan gridlock to advance policies rooted in evidence and equity. One critical pathway for California is to continue leveraging the power of multiracial, intergenerational grassroots organizing to push beyond resistance and embrace propositional advocacy.
Undoing the deeply embedded racial inequities in California’s public systems is essential to restoring faith in our democracy. As our state government enters a new chapter, our collective work to strengthen the movement building infrastructure beyond election cycles becomes all the more important. The incoming Governor and newly elected legislators are inheriting a California grappling with racial disparities, persistent gaps in educational attainment, a housing affordability crisis, and a surging homeless population. Last night’s passage of Proposition 1 and 2 are down payments to help address the ongoing housing crisis. Still, the rejection of Proposition 10 reinforces restrictive state-law limitations on rent control, preventing local governments from implementing tailored solutions to protect tenants, prevent homelessness, and combat displacement. Importantly, Californians rejected Proposition 5 and showed we will not be duped by fake fixes to Proposition 13 (1978) or naïve of misinformed efforts to widen the generational divide between seniors and younger Californians. The fates of senior residents and younger generations are intertwined and substantial reform to Proposition 13 is needed to create prosperity across generations.
Now we must turn to the fights ahead. In 2019 and 2020 we will advocate for a fair, accurate census and work to fix the inequities of the past. We stand with community-led efforts to reform Proposition 13 and create a new 40-year legacy of smarter investments and balanced budgets for California.
Statement from Advancement Project California Executive Director John Kim:
“Tuesday was the start of the turnaround in this country. This midterm election made it strikingly clear that race counts. If we are to succeed in transforming the systems and structures affecting our communities, we must rid the old racial biases from our public systems and fight for a vision of California. No one said this wave was just about one election. It is up to us to make this wave count in terms of generations and not just election cycles. California is America’s future and we will show the country that hate-filled politics never wins.”
Advancement Project California is committed to supporting our partners fighting to shift investments toward equity while strengthening California’s civic fabric.
To learn more about our work in 2019, contact Katie Smith, Director of Communications, (323) 997-2194, KSmith@advanceproj.org.
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About Advancement Project California
Advancement Project is a next generation, multiracial civil rights organization. In California, the organization champions the struggle for greater equity and opportunity for all, fostering upward mobility in communities most impacted by economic and racial injustice. Advancement Project California builds alliances and trust, uses data-driven policy solutions, creates innovative tools, and works alongside communities to ignite social transformation. For more information, visit www.advancementprojectca.org. On Twitter @AP_California.