California Governor vetoes anti-caste discrimination bill, calls it unnecessary

The governor’s move has been welcomed by a large segment of the Indian-American community who were opposing the bill based on the same argument.

“In California, we believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter who they are, where they come from, who they love, or where they live,” Newsom said in a statement on Saturday.

"That is why California already prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, colour, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics, and state law specifies that these civil rights protections shall be liberally construed. Because discrimination based on caste is already prohibited under these existing categories, this bill is unnecessary," he said.