A Hispanic advocacy group criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) for not hiring enough minorities despite California being a “minority majority” state.
A report from the Hispanas Organized for Political Equality organization that was released Monday found that over half of the governor’s 480 appointments to boards, agencies, commissions, and task forces in the past year went to white people.
“Our findings are clear; the rich diversity of California’s population is not reflected in the demographic makeup of board members and commissioners appointed in 2023,” HOPE said in a statement, per the San Francisco Chronicle.
The group did praise Newsom for his recent efforts to add more diversity to the state’s leadership and for closing the gender gap but said the minorities were still underrepresented.
A spokesperson for the governor highlighted some of the historic appointments, including the first Latina California Supreme Court justice, chief justice, and other Latino appointees, serving as surgeon general of California and CalEPA secretary.
“The Newsom Administration is deeply committed to making appointments at every level of government that reflect California’s diversity,” the spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. “Latinos tend to be more recent appointments to the executive branch and were predominantly appointed under the Newsom administration — more than 70% of Latino appointees were appointed just between 2019 to 2022.”
The report also revealed that 17% of the appointments went to Latinos, 11% to black people, 8.5% to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and 2% to Native Americans. White people made up 52% of the appointments, and the racial background of approximately 8% of the appointments was not known.
Hispanics make up 40% of the state’s population. White people make up 34% of the population, black people make up 5%, and Asian Americans make up 15% of the state population, according to Fox News.
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The group has also called for more transparency regarding the appointments, but Newsom has reportedly vetoed such legislation three times. Newsom’s office said the governor frequently works with various groups to gather a list of potential candidates.
“The Governor’s Office makes an intentional, transparent effort to continuously engage with the Legislature, community partners, nonprofits, and other stakeholders to build a diverse and qualified pool of candidates for appointment,” the spokesperson said.