Anti-Caste Discrimination Bill Easily Passes California Senate

A bill that would prohibit discrimination based on caste status passed the California Senate on Thursday with only one opposing vote.

The chamber voted 34-1 for the legislation (S.B. 403) sponsored by state Sen. Aisha Wahab (D) that would add caste as a protected characteristic under California’s civil rights act and other statutes. The legislation defines caste as “an individual’s perceived position in a system of social stratification on the basis of inherited status.”

The measure now heads to the Assembly.

Wahab, the first Afghan American woman elected to the state Senate, wrote she was spurred to act because her ...