State troopers stand guard in front of Senator Yee’s office at the State Capitol. (Photo credit: AP/Rich Pedroncelli)
Yee, who represents San Francisco and part of San Mateo County, and who is currently running for California Secretary of State, was arrested along with notorious former San Francico-area gangster Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow, after FBI and IRS investigators searched both Yee’s Sacramento-based office, as well as his San Francisco home. Both are scheduled to appear in court this afternoon.
(This post will be continuously updated with details as they are reported. This post was updated to include information about the charges against Senator Yee.)
Although considering SCA5 did nothing but strike two words — “public education” — from the state constitution, I’m not entirely sure what those amendments might be.
More substantively, Hernandez has vowed to start a state-wide task force to address the issue of affirmative action in higher education, and to combat the profound untruths and misinformation that has characterized the debate over SCA5 in the last few weeks.
Hernandez said he wants to get more positive information out to the public and to dispel what he calls misinformation about SCA 5. To do that, he said he will create a commission of elected officials; experts in constitutional law; community leaders from different ethnic groups; students; parents; and representatives from the UCs, CSUs and community colleges.
The point, he said, is to address concerns opponents have, which might mean amending or even rewriting the proposal.
This turn of events is a positive one, and should provide California voters the tools they need to have the complex, nuanced, and fact-based conversation that the issue of affirmative action deserves. Further, it will permit a conversation that reflects all positions on the topic — particularly, the diverse positions that can be found even within the Asian American community alone.
