Chairman Jose Medina and Vice Chairman Catharine Baker

ID: LSG-2016-CA-0001

Assembly Higher Education Committee

1020 N Street, Room 173
Sacramento, California 95814
Sent via: Mail
July 5th, 2016
Re: California's SB 1146
Chairman Jose Medina and Vice Chairman Catharine Baker,
My name is Isaiah X. Smith and I am sending you this letter for the purpose as to requesting you and
members of the California Assembly of Higher Education Committee to support California's SB 1146.
Currently in the State of California, private universities that are run by religious entities have been
openly allowed to discriminate against students and employees on the basis of their gender identity,
sexual orientation, gender and against other minority groups if the private religious university claims
that it would violate its religious tenets not to discriminate.
It is to my understanding that California's SB 1146 was designed to create transparency when religious
universities choose to discriminate against women, LGBTQ people or other minority groups. It is
important for students, parents, potential university employees and members of the public to know
what an institution stands for. If a university chooses to discriminate in the name of religion, that
information should be made available to interested individuals. SB 1146 achieves this result without
interfering with the free exercise of religion.
Members of the public, students and employees should have a right to be informed as to the entities
that use religion as their basis for discrimination. I strongly believe that citizens and non-residents of the
State of California should have a right to request records from private universities that is in regards to
their use of religious claims for discrimination. See Connell v. Superior Court, 56 Cal. App. 4th 601, 61112; 65 Cal. Rptr. 2d 738 (1997). I also believe that if an individual was unlawfully discriminated against
and harassed by a private religious university that claims and uses religion as their justification, I believe
that the oppressed have a right to have records as to the use of their religious discrimination policies,
even if the records are for litigation purposes against the private university. See County of Los Angeles v.
Superior Court, 82 Cal. App. 4th 819, 826, 98 Cal. Rptr. 2d 564 (2000).
I absolutely urge the legislature of California to be in favor of California's SB 1146 that aims to help
protect individuals from abuse of the system from occurring and also aims to make sure that private
universities disclose their reasons for using a religious exemption to students, employees and other
interested individuals.

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A response letter to my letter to you would be greatly appreciated. You can send me a letter regarding
my letter to you at: iscampaign@usa.com. You can also send me a letter by mail at the following mailing
address:
Isaiah X. Smith
Isaiah Smith Campaign
P.O Box 163411
Fort Worth, Texas, 76161
Respectfully,
Isaiah X. Smith
Isaiah Smith Campaign
P.O Box 163411
Fort Worth, Texas, 76161
www.isaiahxsmith.com

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