California could become the fourth state to ban legacy admissions preferences at universities under a bill making its way through the State Legislature.
Many selective colleges have historically given to the children or grandchildren of alumni — who are much more likely to be white and wealthy than other applicants — an advantage in the admissions process. But the practice, never particularly popular with the public, has come under scrutiny since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year against affirmative action policies at colleges and universities.
After the court’s decision, some schools — including Occidental College, Carnegie Mellon and Wesleyan University — decided to stop giving preference to legacy applicants.
Now, California lawmakers are considering AB 1780, a bill that would prohibit universities in the state from giving preferential treatment to applicants because of their family ties to donors or alumni.
With affirmative action banned in higher education, “it makes complete sense to now ensure that we don’t look at someone’s wealth or lineage with the university to decide whether to admit them,” Phil Ting, a Bay Area Democrat who is the bill’s author, told me. The bill “doesn’t ban admitting donors’ or alumni children,” he added. “It just ensures that there’s no preferential treatment.”
Colorado and Virginia recently passed laws banning legacy admissions at public institutions of higher education. Maryland has done so at both public and private institutions. California’s public colleges and universities already give no preference to legacy candidates; the new bill would ban the practice at private institutions.
Ting tried to push through a similar bill in 2019 after the Varsity Blues scandal, in which parents were found to have paid bribes and falsified their children’s credentials to win them spots in top-tier schools. His effort to ban legacy preferences fell short that time, but Ting did succeed in getting a provision passed that requires private colleges to report to the Legislature how many students they admit because of donor or alumni ties.
The reports showed that the practice was most widespread at Stanford and U.S.C., where 14 percent of students who were admitted in the fall of 2022 had legacy or donor connections — and at Santa Clara University, where 13 percent did.
The new bill passed the Assembly last month. To become law, it must now be passed by the Senate by Aug. 31 and then be signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
And before you go, some good news
A league in Long Beach is creating a way for young people with physical and mental disabilities to play baseball and softball. The program, called Bambino Buddy-Ball and run by the nonprofit Heartwell Baseball, pairs each player with a buddy who can help them swing a bat and round the bases, ABC7 reports.
“I mean, they’re just excited to play baseball,” Michael Gengler, vice president and director of Bambino Buddy-Ball, told the news outlet. “They’re out having fun with their friends, and their families are cheering for them.”
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Soumya
P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword.
Maia Coleman and Briana Scalia contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com.
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