The Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, a health advocacy organization, has led the data disaggregation effort with sponsorship by Gonzalez. The duo attempted to pass a similar bill last year, which would have required two different agencies to collect data. That bill also passed with overwhelming support in both legislative chambers, but was vetoed by Gov. Newsom in October 2023, who said the bill was “premature” and that the federal government’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was taking similar steps to disaggregate data.
In March of 2024, the White House announced the OMB changes to include disaggregated data by ethnicity, but the changes did not meet the level of specificity California health advocates were hoping for.
“We have the power and we can establish that legacy and that leadership by going beyond the OMB outlined changes to actually reflect the population in California,” said Seciah Aquino, Executive Director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, in an interview before Gov. Newsom signed the bill. “Given that we make up 40% of the population — over 16 million Latinos and indigenous community members — we need that data at the detailed level to actually dig deeper into health outcomes, but also to bring success and effectiveness to many of the programs and campaigns that we have been able to advance in California.
Read the full article in El Tímpano
Also featured in: KQED
