AP News: California Assembly backs repealing affirmative action ban

California is the nation’s most populous state, and it’s also one of the most diverse. Hispanics surpassed whites in 2015 as the state’s largest ethnic group. As of 2019, Hispanics make up 39% of the state’s population while whites account for 36.8%, according to the U.S. Census. Asians account for 15.3% while African Americans make up 6.5% of the state’s population.

California State University, the nation’s largest four-year public university with 23 campuses and nearly 482,000 students, has a student body that is nearly 75% people of color. Hispanics account for 43% of the students while whites account for 22.4%. Asians account for 15.7% and black people make up 4% of the student population.

At the University of California system, Asians account for 30% of the undergraduate and graduate student population, followed by whites at 24%, Hispanics at 22% and blacks at 4%.