Bill > SB515

This bill requires cities, counties, and city-and-county governments, including charter cities, to modify their demographic data collection practices when hiring employees, specifically by adding more detailed collection categories for Black or African American groups starting January 1, 2027. The bill aims to enhance the accuracy and comprehensiveness of demographic data concerning descendants of persons who were enslaved and emancipated in the United States, referred to as "American Freedmen," with the goal of improving policy planning and resource allocation. The legislation emphasizes protecting individual privacy during data collection and handling, and it applies to all cities, even those with their own charters. The bill acknowledges that this data collection requirement is a matter of statewide concern, not just a municipal issue. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that implementing these new requirements creates additional costs for local agencies, the state will reimburse those agencies according to existing statutory procedures for state-mandated local programs.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB515