Proposition 209, a voter referendum passed in 1996, outlaws discrimination and preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting. It had been vigorously supported by University of California Regent Ward Connerly and bitterly opposed by most traditional civil rights advocacy groups.

The law effectively ended affirmative action practices in California universities and businesses.

See also

• Regents of the University of California v. Bakke