One from Governor Gavin Newsom’s primary responsibilities are to appoint individuals to fill state board and commission positions. However, his office lacks a public system for verifying that these appointees reflect the communities they serve.

Unfortunately, these seats often don’t reflect the diversity inherent in California, especially when it comes to the under-representation of Latinos. Despite making up 39% of the population, Latinos remain marginalized within these appointments, and the lack of transparency surrounding governor nomination data obscures the true extent of this under-representation.

We have a promising solution ahead of us. Senate Bill 702, written by

S

Tate Senator Monique Limn

(D-Santa Barbara)

, would require the governor’s office to prepare and publish an annual report on the demographic composition of all appointees appointed to state boards and commissions that year. This report would provide the transparency needed for targeted advocacy to diversify boards and committees that wield significant influence across the state.

From overseeing retirement access for public educators through the California State Teachers Retirement System, to cleaning up contaminated land in vulnerable communities through the Board of Environmental Safety, to the review authority of the Workers Compensation Appeals Board, these agencies are in the connection between the governors. administrative powers and

it is his

broad overview of the problems

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our communities.

Last year, UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute, where I work, published an analysis of Latino representation in governor nominations on 45 critical committees within state agencies and departments. The report shows that Latinos have the largest representation gap among all racial groups, filling just 18.4% of board appointments. More than twice that would be needed to accurately reflect the number of Latinos in the state. Among women, Latinas remain the most underrepresented.

In practical terms, this means that these committees do not accurately represent the communities they are supposed to serve. Latino students make up the majority of California’s primary education system, but the community is underrepresented on education boards. Similarly, Latino communities bear the brunt of many of the state’s environmental burdens, yet there is a stark absence of their voice from state environmental committees. In addition, Latinos, while a driver of labor growth and job creation, are not substantially represented on labor force development councils.

SB 702 is at a critical juncture as another parliamentary term draws to a close. Last year, the bill was rejected by Newsom, citing budget constraints.

But despite T

Hello governor

s has a

commendable record of historic governor appointments, including installing the state’s first black secretary of state, its first attorney general of Filipino descent, and the first Latino-American senator to represent California.

But

the public deserves to know what progress is being made in all appointments, including the most obscure ones. If the bill does not pass, it will limit our ability to understand which constituencies are missing from the decision-making process.

As a state whose economic progress and success are intertwined with the Latino community, we must make rigorous efforts to monitor, understand and rectify the pattern that sends Latinos to the periphery of subsequent decision-making bodies. Whether on corporate tech boards, nonprofit boards, Hollywood, or the medical profession, the absence of Latino representation persists. Newsom can help write a new chapter for state boards and commissions. In addition, this legislation can provide organizations with data and resources

like like

ours advocating for the short- and long-term empowerment of Latinos and other underrepresented groups in the state.

Effective governance requires the presence of women, diverse populations and the inclusion of lived experiences as forms of expertise. Illinois has already implemented a similar law that will provide community leaders with a tool to advocate for greater representation in their state. Now California is ready to meet this moment.

An annual report tracking the composition of state committees and boards will help us direct resources where they are most needed, so that those doing the work most needed

affects consequences

our communities are indeed a reflection of those for whom they are intended.

Cesar Montoya is a senior policy analyst for the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute.