As you may know, we took the University of California Board of Regents, University of California San Diego (UCSD) and Black Alumni Scholarship Fund to [court](https://pacificlegal.org/case/ucsd-basf-scholarship-discrimination/) in July to challenge a race-based scholarship named “Black Academic Excellence Initiative (BAEI).” Knowing that BAEI was blatantly unconstitutional, the defendants reached out to settle immediately following our legal filings. **Recently, _CFER v. UCSD_ was successfully concluded with the permanent elimination of BAEI**.  
  
To replace the Black Alumni Scholarship Fund, the San Diego Foundation (SDF, nonprofit administrator of the scholarship) launched **the Lennon Goins Alumni Scholarship Fund** ([GASF](https://gasf-sandiego.com/)), which offers scholarships to UCSD students **based on individual needs, merit and community service**. Neither race nor any race proxy will be employed in the implementation of the new scholarship. 
  
This is a great win for equal rights. **Thanks to our excellent legal counsel from the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), we were able to stop a 42-year-old racial-favor program in less than three months**!  
  
"We are pleased that the race-based criteria have been eliminated from the scholarship program. Awarding scholarships on the basis of race is a practice that has no place in the American university system,” said PLF attorney Jack Brown who represented CFER in this case. “We're proud to have helped our clients fight for equality for students at the University."  
  
BAEI was a [partnership](https://diversity.ucsd.edu/initiatives/black-academic-excellence/index.html) between UCSD’s Black Alumni Council and the San Diego Foundation that gives qualified UCSD students both financial aid and mentorship opportunities. It is only available for “admitted Black undergraduates.” Although UCSD denied any official involvement in the selection of the scholarship recipients and in its administration, our lawsuit provided overwhelming evidence that the school, a public university funded by California taxpayers, is intimately engaged in the history and current operations of BAEI.  
  
The success was a collective effort. We were joined by CFER members who are: 1. Mr. Kai Peters, a non-Black UCSD junior who would have participated in both the financial and mentorship components of BAEI; 2. a current UCSD student who was excluded from BASF due to her race (CFER Member A); 3. an Asian American high schooler who has plans to apply to UCSD (CFER Member B); 4. Multiple CFER high school members with plans to apply to UCSD (CFER High School Members).  
  
Now, with the new merit-based scholarship, these CFER members will have equal access to the financial and educational resources that were not available to them previously due to race. Going forward, CFER will continue to monitor developments pertaining to the new scholarship to **ensure that UCSD and SDF do not smuggle in race considerations in the future**.  
  
Although we contend with an unfavorable political environment and wrestle with a divisive culture, we are determined to press on with the cause of equality in both the court of law and the court of public opinions. Eliminating this race-centric scholarship is the **third legal advocacy** [**victory**](https://www.cferfoundation.org/legal) **CFER has achieved this year**! We will carry on because the principle of equal protection must be defended time and again. If you believe in our resolve and our track record, we want to ask you to [consider](https://www.cferfoundation.org/support) CFER in your charitable giving to help us further our work. You can also [join](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member/register) as a CFER member and help us launch more legal challenges in support of equality.  
  
Thank you!

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Victory! CFER sued and stopped a 42-year-old, unconstitutional scholarship at UCSD


We are happy to share some exciting news with you today. On October 13th, Governor Gavin Newsom  [vetoed](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/13/governor-newsom-issues-legislative-update-10-13-25/)[AB 7](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB7&search_keywords=slavery)  (college admissions preferences for descendants of slavery),  [AB 57](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB57)  (affordable housing for descendants of slaves),  [AB 62](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB62&search_keywords=equity)  (racially motivated eminent domain),  [AB 742](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB742)  (licensing board application preferences for descendants of slaves). Along with  [ACA 7](https://www.cferfoundation.org/posts/post-aca-7-victory), which was stopped in the state legislature,  **we have managed to defeat five of eight reparations-themed bills introduced in this legislative session**!

This victory is a result of collaboration among multiple stakeholders including you! CFER Executive Vice President Professor  **Gail Heriot**  led a postcard lobby campaign to urge state lawmakers and the governor to reject these bills. Ms.  **Brita Lindstrom**  of San Diego greatly assisted in that initiative. Thanks to the tireless efforts by the  **Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) and CFER, the sole voices of opposition against race-based reparations registered with the State Government and** [**featured**](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.dailynews.com/2025/09/16/black-students-need-choice-not-illegal-gestures-like-assembly-bill-7/&ved=2ahUKEwi339flnKSQAxUUWDABHRFYDqkQxfQBKAB6BAgJEAE&usg=AOvVaw1Qj5-PUtff-WrKtgeZm57I) **in the** [**news**](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://sacobserver.com/2025/07/ab-7-reparations-bill-california/&ved=2ahUKEwjjpJHYnKSQAxXKSjABHcKUHWEQxfQBKAB6BAgMEAE&usg=AOvVaw1hV3cLFxmFp9gNKurhXemP) **for the** [**opposition**](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.campusreform.org/article/california-passes-bill-allow-slavery-lineage-admissions-despite-affirmative-action-bans/28677&ved=2ahUKEwi339flnKSQAxUUWDABHRFYDqkQxfQBKAB6BAgTEAE&usg=AOvVaw0u-bRTljudBglrWAsRDkHu), these divisive and potentially unconstitutional proposals are prevented from becoming state law. During CFER’s State Capitol tour to Sacramento in February, CFER was joined by  **Greg Burt**  of the California Family Council and PLF’s  **Andrew Quinio**  in testifying against AB 7, ACA 7, AB 57 and other similar legislation. Last but not least,  **we also owe this hard-fought success to many of our supporters**, including you, who have contacted your state representatives and the Governor’s office to voice concerns.

We must be encouraged by this development, especially in California, where state policymaking is dominated by one party. Looking back even in recent history, when state bills favoring racial spoils were fast-tracked into legislation at around 2020,  **today’s triumph is not just a result of changing circumstances, but more importantly due to our long-term advocacy amidst formidable challenges**. We could have not built this growing track record of confronting and defeating illiberal policies at the state and local levels without your support. So, please allow me to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude.

However,  **the battle for equality is far from over, as the movement for reparations in California goes on**. Three other reparations bills, -  [SB 510](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB510)  (racial history education),  [SB 518](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB518&search_keywords=slavery)  (Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery), and  [SB 437](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB437&search_keywords=slavery)  ($6,000,000 for the California State University to conduct research for reparations), were signed into law. Even in his AB 7 veto  [message](https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-7-Veto.pdf), Governor Newsom deferred to universities and colleges for their “authority to determine whether to provide admissions preferences.”  As you can see, all these successfully codified bills share a similar pattern of expending taxpayer money on research and education, which makes it hard to argue they’re unconstitutional. On the contrary, those that were vetoed focused on the implementation of reparations, which made the State of California vulnerable for legal scrutiny. PLF and CFER were ready to take legal actions against them and we are still ready and willing to do so regarding future state bills.

While we rightfully celebrate the end of five particularly egregious reparation bills, CFER is resolved to continue to monitor future policy developments following the passage of SB 510, SB 518 and SB 437. We will not stop being watchful. We will not retreat in complacency.

If you are encouraged by CFER’s work, can I please ask you to  [make](https://www.cferfoundation.org/support)  a kind donation today so that we can press on?

Thank you warmly!

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Important victories on our continued journey: AB 7, AB 57, and other reparation bills are vetoed but a study for reparations eligibility is funded

As this summer comes to an end, schools throughout California are starting their new school year. In light of existing and incoming changes to education policies and the broad legal landscape, we want to check in with a few suggestions for you to consider as you continue to advocate in your local school district.

**1.** **Monitor the implementation of ethnic studies in your local schools.**

The 2025-26 state budget does not contain any funding/appropriation portion for the ethnic studies mandate (AB 101). This means  **school districts are not obligated to make the course a graduation requirement**. However, many school districts are teaching the controversial subject to varying degrees: while some like the San Diego Unified School District are  [requiring](https://www.sdusdethnicstudies.org/)  ethnic studies for high school graduation, others including the San Dieguito Union High School District have  [made](https://thecoastnews.com/san-dieguito-makes-ethnic-studies-optional-for-fall/)  the course optional. CFER’s school-district  [database](https://www.cferfoundation.org/research/crt-in-school-districts), which has surveyed 426 school districts in the Golden State has more information. If like me, you are also unconvinced about the so-called educational benefits of a contested discipline, you should  **closely monitor how ethnic studies is being taught in your local school district**. Speak up at school board meetings to let the trustees know a mandate for ethnic studies is not backed by state funding and to request public access to course materials as well as evidence of educational efficacy.

**2.** **Protect your child’s rights and advance parental rights by opting out of invasive gender education.**

As you may know, the recent  **U.S. Supreme Court  [ruling](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-297_4f14.pdf)  in  _Mahmoud v. Taylor_  allows parents to opt their children out of reading LGBTQ+ inclusive storybooks**  and other relevant contents in public schools. This is a much-needed blow to the dangerous and constant drumbeat of transgender ideology activists, who have spent the last two decades usurping public education and infiltrating the system with age-inappropriate indoctrination. Our children’s innocence is worth protecting and fighting for. Please pay attention to how your local schools are curating school library books and seek opt-out forms at the school district level. The ruling in  _Mahmoud v. Taylor_  protects parents’ First Amendment right to require schools give reasonable notice and opportunity to opt their children out of certain school lessons on the ground of religious or moral belief. You can choose to remove your child from:

· Lessons and activities teaching gender identity and gender transition.

· Lessons and curriculum portraying, detailing and normalizing LGBTQ+ behavior.

· “LGBTQIA+ inclusive” books contradicting your family’s beliefs on marriage/sexuality.

· Health class lessons, literature selections and other school materials that contradict your family’s religious/moral convictions.

In addition to locating opt-out forms from your local school district, you can also utilize this opt-out  [form](https://www.ip-ca.org/opt-out)  from Informed Parents of California the Pacific Justice Institute.

Although topics and focuses pertaining to public education advocacy are constantly shifting and evolving, the core of the battle stays the same**: we must fight to preserve the values and principles necessary for making our schools excellent, accountable and fair**. In this spirit, I want to encourage you to stay engaged and organized in this school year. Check out CFER’s previous posts on  [elevating your cause](https://www.cferfoundation.org/posts/post-elevate-your-cause)and  [becoming organized](https://www.cferfoundation.org/posts/post-local-organizing-step-two). If you can, please also consider making a generous  [contribution](https://www.cferfoundation.org/support)  to CFER today so that we can help more and more parents at the local school district level.

Thank you warmly!

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Back to school to-do list for educational excellence and parental rights

Do you want to restore excellence and accountability in our public schools? Have you been fighting diligently in your local school district? You may be greatly encouraged by this:

**A student watchdog in the San Dieguito Union High School District prompted the school board to authorize an independent audit. The audit** [**corroborated**](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/08/05/audit-spurred-by-students-investigation-finds-financial-mismanagement-by-san-dieguito-high-school-foundations/?utm_email=44E364A3344CF4514563955369&lctg=44E364A3344CF4514563955369&active=yesD&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.sandiegouniontribune.com%2f2025%2f08%2f05%2faudit-spurred-by-students-investigation-finds-financial-mismanagement-by-san-dieguito-high-school-foundations%2f&utm_campaign=sdut-san_diego_union_tribune-essential_san_diego-nl&utm_content=curated) **the watchdog’s findings on financial mismanagement, facility misuses and lack of transparency.**

This story matters for many good reasons, chief among which are: 1. Its  **demonstration of the effectiveness of persistent and strategic local organizing**; 2. The vital value of a courageous challenger (in this case, two high school seniors).

Nearly a year ago, CFER was put in contact with two Canyon Crest Academy students who shared  [concerns](https://www.ravensfortransparency.org/the-report)about their school foundation (Canyon Crest Academy Foundation), a nonprofit operating independently of the school and the school district. The students formed a watchdog named Ravens for Transparency and  **blew the whistle on the foundation**’s “shady practices, incompetence, and secrecy,” including massive ambiguous expense unaccounted for, excessive bloat and other issues of financial mismanagement**. As soon as we learned about the case, CFER provided support by commissioning a third-party** [**audit**](https://strapi-cfer.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/d9926400b0265c40cbe2f4b3abbcd996.pdf)  of the school foundation through a reputable public accounting firm. With the third-party audit, these two brave students built more confidence to advocate for their case and continue the fight between September 2024 and now.

The school foundation responded with  [threats and smears](https://www.canyoncrestfoundation.org/about-ccaf/canyon-crest-academy-foundation-integrity-governance-and-transparency/), dismissing all allegations categorically and condemning the whistleblowers. Even though the foundation is a separate entity from the school, the school administration pressured the students to take down their report and the principal blasted a schoolwide  [email](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xhqWUzc8Q-3aaZQwPkAydQrPx39r0iuB/view)calling the students’ effort “grossly erroneous and misleading.” The school even classified the whistleblowing as “misinformation” and demanded the students learn to “communicate effectively, following appropriate norms and with civility and accuracy.”

**But the students and the community did not back down.** Since September 2024, parents and community members, many of whom were organized by two local organizations –  **Asian American Parent Alliance of San Diego**  ([AAPASD](https://www.aapasd.org/)) and  **Taxpayers Oversight for Parents and Students of SDUHSD**  (TOPS), spoke in support of the student watchdog at multiple school board meetings. Due to public pressure and  [media exposure](https://www.ravensfortransparency.org/timeline), the school board authorized an independent audit of all foundations within the school district in October 2024. The audit report was finished last month (July 2025) and  **echoed many findings in the CFER-commissioned audit**, especially regarding financial mismanagement, lack of fiscal transparency, and facility misuses.

After nearly two years of fighting and fending off retaliation, **the courageous students are finally vindicated, while the public good for accountability and transparency is delivered.** Kudos to Ravens for Transparency, AAPASD, and TOPS!

The moral of the story? Many hands make light work. With these brave individuals and groups fighting on the forefront, CFER was able to obtain necessary resources to  **support their fight with facts and research**!

At CFER, we firmly believe that  **the victory**  of Ravens for Transparency for holding the school district accountable, as well as other success stories, is  **replicable and scalable**. As long as local parents, students and community members are willing and ready to organize locally with diligence and persistence,  **CFER will always be here to support you**, every step of the way and one school district at a time!

If you are ready to start in your own local school district, let us know by replying to this email. We look forward to learning more and working with you. And if you believe in CFER’s work, resolve and track record, please consider making a generous  [donation](https://www.cferfoundation.org/support)  to us today. You can also  [become a CFER member](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member/register)  to support our legal advocacy and other operations.

Thank you!

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Student Watchdog Exposed School Foundations’ Mismanagement: Local Organizing Helps!

We have some exciting news to share with you today. **CFER, co-plaintiff Eva Zhou, and our legal counsel American Civil Rights (ACR) Project just scored a major legal** [**victory**](https://www.americancivilrightsproject.org/blog/sacramento-settles-lawsuit-brought-by-cfer-and-the-acr-project/) **in reaching a favorable settlement with Sacramento County**! According to the settlement, Sacramento agreed to remove the race eligibility criteria in its “Family First Economic Support Pilot” program and cover our attorneys’ necessary fees.  
  
Promoting the government to dial back from racial discrimination in **less than a year** is **a huge and swift win**! Sacramento County announced the program launch in September 2024 and had planned to begin payments to families raising “Black/African American or American Indian/Alaska Native child[ren]” at the beginning of 2025. In October 2024, CFER and the ACR Project [issued](https://www.americancivilrightsproject.org/blog/acr-project-notifies-sacramento-county-and-california-department-of-social-services-of-intent-to-sue-to-block-racially-exclusive-family-first-economic-support-pilot/) an intent to sue notice, threatening Sacramento with a lawsuit. Having received no response, we [filed](https://www.cferfoundation.org/posts/sue-sacramento-county-2025) the lawsuit in December 2024. **Due to our proactive monitoring, the program was never launched and it is now revamped to select beneficiaries without regard to race**!  
  
**Thanks to CFER board member Eva Zhou who courageously participated in the lawsuit as an individual co-plaintiff, we strengthened our legal standing in the lawsuit**, which helped secure this final triumph for equal protection!  
  
ACR Project Executive Director Dan Morenoff commented: “California and its subdivisions should not need reminding that racial discrimination is illegal. We’re pleased, though, that Sacramento came to its senses and decided to comply with American law. In time, voluntarily or because compelled by the Courts, the rest of the state will do the same.”  
  
Proponents of government preferences are like paper tigers. **Their penchant for wasting taxpayer funds on racial discrimination crumbles, the moment a legal challenge is mounted**. The million-dollar question is: **who is willing and ready to stand at the forefront to confront preferential government programs, whenever and wherever they are identified**?  
  
**In California, the answer is** **YOU and** **CFER**. We have made it our mission to advance equality and take on government entities in the court of law. And we are winning. **Settling with Sacramento is our fourth win in the last four years**. In some cases, we worked with individual plaintiffs, such as taxpayers and citizens to boost standing. In other cases, CFER acted as the sole plaintiff to shield the privacy and identity of our individual members who have standing. In either scenario, we need brave individuals like Eva Zhou to initiate the fight, anonymously or not. We are now streamlining this operation through CFER’s [membership](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member) structure so that you can work together with CFER to defend equality.  
  
**For just $10 a year, you can [become a CFER member](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member/register) and support our work for equality and merit.** You will have opportunities to participate in all CFER's future endeavors whenever applicable. If you have donated to us before or if you are experiencing financial hardship, we can [waive](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member/membership-fee-waiver) your membership due.  
  
Currently, we are **looking for taxpayers in Sacramento and Orange County** to launch new challenges to stop racial discrimination. If you are a resident and taxpayer in either county, will you please let us know?

Fighting and winning! We forced Sacramento to rescind race criteria in child welfare program

On July 16th, CFER and individual co-plaintiffs **filed a [lawsuit](https://pacificlegal.org/case/ucsd-basf-scholarship-discrimination/) against the University of California Board of Regents, University of California San Diego** and Black Alumni Scholarship Fund with the United States District Court Southern District of California. Represented by our partner and legal counsel Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), we are challenging a race-based scholarship named “Black Academic Excellence Initiative (BAEI),” at the University of California San Diego (UCSD).

BAEI is a [partnership](https://diversity.ucsd.edu/initiatives/black-academic-excellence/index.html) between UCSD’s Black Alumni Council and the San Diego Foundation that gives qualified UCSD students both financial aid and mentorship opportunities. It is only available for “admitted Black undergraduates.” Although UCSD denies any official involvement in the selection of the scholarship recipients and in its administration, our lawsuit provides overwhelming evidence that the school, a public university funded by California taxpayers, is intimately engaged in the history and current operations of BAEI.  There is irrefutable proof that UCSD is an active participant of racial discrimination through the scholarship, which results in the school’s **violation of Proposition 209 and the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution**.

For this timely endeavor, we are **joined by CFER members** who are: 1. a current UCSD student who was excluded from BASF due to her race (CFER Member A); 2. an Asian American high schooler who has plans to apply to UCSD (CFER Member B); 3. Multiple CFER high school members with plans to apply to UCSD (CFER High School Members); 4. Mr. Kai Peters, a non-Black UCSD junior who would have participated in both the financial and mentorship components of BAEI.

Thanks to CFER’s expanding base of constituents, we have been able to advocate for equality in the court of law on behalf of our members and supporters. This case is the [seventh case](https://www.cferfoundation.org/legal) we have brought against California public agencies in our tireless effort to defend equality. Of the seven, we have scored at least four victories and will continue to press forward.

**To consolidate our readiness and efficiency to take on California entities in courts whenever racial discrimination is present, CFER is now officially a** [**membership organization**](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member)**.** For just $10 a year, you can become a CFER member and support our work for equality and merit. You will have opportunities to participate in all CFER's future endeavors whenever applicable, including but not limited to:

-   Legal challenges to uphold equal treatment
-   Alliance building
-   Local organizing
-   Policy monitoring

If you have donated to us before or if you are experiencing financial hardship, we can [waive](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member/membership-fee-waiver) your membership due. [**Join us today**](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member/register)!

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