Additional Coverage:
- California lawmakers pass protections for pregnant women in prisons and ban on legacy admissions (newsbreak.com)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A series of proposed measures that would provide greater protections for pregnant prisoners, eliminate legacy admissions at private colleges, and improve the handling of gender discrimination at higher education institutions have recently passed in the California state legislature.
The Democrat-controlled California Legislature is hustling to pass numerous bills before the end of the session this Saturday, all of which will be presented to Governor Gavin Newsom for his decision. Newsom has until the end of September to either sign these measures into law, veto them, or allow them to automatically become law without his signature, a decision often influenced by the state’s financial situation.
Key legislation passed includes:
**Handling Sexual Harassment in Universities:** Proposals necessitate that each California State University and University of California campus establishes an office dedicated to managing complaints of sexual harassment under Title IX—the federal statute that prohibits sex discrimination in educational settings. This comes in response to findings from the state auditor that these higher education systems have previously mismanaged such complaints. The legislation aims to enhance efforts campus-wide to combat gender discrimination.
**Expanding Protections for Pregnant Inmates:** The state Senate endorsed several bills aimed at bettering conditions for incarcerated pregnant women. These proposals include prohibiting solitary confinement for these women under most circumstances, requiring that they receive daily nutritional meals and clean bottled water, and providing access to social workers and parenting classes. Additional measures ensure that new mothers can bond with their newborns at medical facilities and can pump breast milk to be stored and given to their infants upon returning to prison.
**Reducing Prison Overhead by Emptying Beds:** Another bill seeks to significantly reduce the number of unused beds in California state prisons by 2030—a move driven by budgetary constraints and an ongoing decrease in the state’s prison population due to federal interventions and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This could pave the way for the closure of up to five state prisons, though some opposition argues this could lead to overcrowded conditions that hamper rehabilitation efforts.
**Ending Legacy Admissions:** The Senate also passed legislation that would stop private, nonprofit colleges from favoring applicants who are related to the school’s alumni or donors, beginning in September 2025. This initiative aims to level the playing field in college admissions, particularly following the Supreme Court’s decision last year to strike down affirmative action.
These legislative measures are now pending final approval in the Assembly before potentially reaching Governor Newsom’s desk for signing.
[Contributed by Austin, part of The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative, which places journalists in local newsrooms to cover underreported topics. Austin can be followed on X at @sophieadanna]