Existing law requires the State Controller’s Office and the Department of Human Resources to include additional data categories for specified Black or African American groups when collecting demographic information on state employees.
Effective January 1, 2027, SB 515 requires general law and charter cities and counties to include the same additional collection categories and tabulations for Black or African American groups when collecting demographic data on persons hired for local government employment. These additional collection categories and tabulations for Black or African American groups include, but are not limited to: (1) African Americans who are descendants of persons who were enslaved in the United States; (2) Blacks who are not descendants of persons who were enslaved in the United States, including, but not limited to, African Blacks, Caribbean Blacks, and other Blacks, and; (3) Unknown or choose not to identify.
SB 515 directs local agencies to handle and store all collected data securely and to protect individual privacy in compliance with applicable state and federal laws.
SB 515 states that its purpose is to improve the accuracy, consistency, and comprehensiveness of demographic data for employees who are descendants of persons enslaved and emancipated in the United States, also referred to as American Freedmen, and to support effective policy planning and resource allocation. SB 515 also directs local agencies to ensure the privacy and secure handling of collected data in compliance with relevant laws.
(SB 515 adds Section 53060.8 to the Government Code.)