Big Win For US Hindu Community As California Governor Gavin Newsom Vetoes Hinduphobic Bill

California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed "SB-403", the so-called California Caste Bill (Senate Bill 403), on the grounds that discrimination based on caste was already prohibited under California law and the bill was therefore unnecessary. 

“In California, we believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter who they are, where they come from, who they love, or where they live,” Newsom wrote.

“That is why California already prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics, and state law specifies that these civil rights protections shall be liberally construed,” he added.

The contentious and controversial Senate Bill 403, introduced by first-term Sen. Aisha Wahab, passed in the California state legislature by a 55-3 vote in late August, and the Senate 31-5 in September.

Wahab, the first Muslim and Afghan American elected to the state legislature, introduced the bill in the California Senate on 22 March. The bill sought to amend the anti-discrimination policy under the Unruh Civil Rights Act by adding caste as a protected category.

Hindu activists and advocacy groups mounted a spirited resistance to the amendment arguing that it based on unproven and biased data from hate groups like Equality Labs and is aimed at targeting South Asian communities and other people of colour.

They also stated that the bill falsely defines “caste” based on information supplied by such hate groups and agenda-driven activists.

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a prominent educational and advocacy organisation fighting for Hindu causes, has welcomed the step.

“Today, we at the Hindu American Foundation join South Asians across California and the Hindu American community in offering our heartfelt appreciation to California Governor Gavin Newsom for his historically important veto of SB-403. This is a victory for the civil rights of all Californians," HAF Managing Director Samir Kalra said.

"With the stroke of his pen, Governor Newsom has averted a civil rights and constitutional disaster that would have put a target on hundreds of thousands of Californians simply because of their ethnicity or their religious identity, as well as create a slippery slope of  facially discriminatory laws," he added.

"We thank Governor Newsom for listening to the thousands of voices that contacted his office and seeing that SB-403 was premised on racist rhetoric, a baseless lawsuit, egregious Civil Rights Department misconduct, false claims about the Hindu religion and South Asian community at large, and the self-serving, methodologically flawed, caste survey by Equality Labs," Kalra said further.

“We at HAF have always said that any discrimination on the basis of ‘caste’ violates not only Hindu teachings, but also existing state and federal law. The fight over SB-403 has always been about the best solution for any intra-community discrimination, not whether such protections are needed," according to Suhag Shukla, HAF Executive Director.

"SB-403 forced our community to find its voice. The months spent educating the community about their rights, providing trainings and tools to effectively advocate as constituents, peacefully assembling in protest, offering testimonies at the Statehouse, writing countless letters to legislators and Governor Newsom, and meeting with numerous offices have all paid off. We’re grateful to Hindu Americans across the state who have shown tremendous resilience and to our allies for coming together like never before," Suhag added.

"To all those who have suffered discrimination, we stand with you. We hope to move forward together, educating our community to live the values of our shared traditions that insist on equality based on teachings of oneness of all of existence. We hope to move forward without hatred or malice to bring together our community which SB-403 so unnecessarily divided.”

Expressing his gratitude and appreciation, Indian American community leader and Democrat Ajay Bhutoria said in a press statement: “I am truly grateful to Governor Newsom for taking the time to consider the concerns we raised regarding the SB403 caste Bill. This legislation was undeniably redundant and unnecessary, and I am pleased that our discussions in Chicago bore fruit. The veto of this Bill is a testament to the power of constructive dialogue and collaboration.”