LA County Fails to Reach Racial Spoils Goal
In the comment section of an LAT blog article on racial quotas in Los Angeles County contracting, Roger Clegg asks, “Why do race, ethnicity, and sex need to be considered at all in deciding who gets awarded a contract?”
Apparently, the county is not reaching its minority contract set-aside goal of 25 percent. Since discriminating against or preferring individuals or groups based on factors like skin color and sex in government hiring, contracting, and admissions is illegal in California, the county is an a quandary.
The article mentions several race-neutral ways to possibly increase minority-owned business representation among contracting ranks: make the bidding process more accessible and easier to understand; hold workshops to instruct business owners how to apply for contracts; and notify business owners of new projects via e-mail.
Will these approaches satisfy quota proponents? Probably not, but they don’t have much choice. Why is awarding contracts to the lowest bidders regardless of the business owner’s race wrong? Isn’t it the best way to ensure that no one, regardless of race, is subjected to racial discrimination?
Oops. My naivety is showing again.
