Tri-Valley Car Rally Planned Saturday In Protest Of Prop. 16

TRI-VALLEY, CA — A car rally in protest of Proposition 16, which will be on November's ballot, is planned Saturday morning in Dublin and Pleasanton.

The rally is organized by the Tri-Valley Asian Association, which expects some 200 cars to show up. Register for the event here.

The procession will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Dolores Bengston Aquatic Center (4455 Black Ave.) and proceed eastbound on Black Avenue, turn right on Hopyard Road, turn right on Dublin Boulevard, turn right on Santa Rita Road, turn right on Black Avenue, then end at Amador Valley Community Park (4301 Black Ave.).

Prop. 16 would repeal an amendment to the California constitution, which prevents the state from discriminating against and granting of preferential treatment based on race, gender, sex, skin color, ethnicity or nationality. The amendment came after California voters passed Proposition 209 in 1996 and banned affirmative action, according to Ballotpedia.

Supporters, such as the Opportunity for All Coalition, argue that groups including people of color and women have not been given the same opportunities, and the state should be able to take those factors into account when hiring.

Critics argue that Prop. 16 could lead to more discrimination against certain groups and "devalues the principle of merit" by reinstating preferential policies, according to the Tri-Valley Asian Association and opposition group Californians for Equal Rights.

Read the text of Prop. 16 here.

Correction: An earlier version of this story did not mention that Prop. 16 and Prop. 209 applied to state matters.