California’s DEI Bloat Clashes with Newsom’s Pivot to ‘Normal’

By Jim Pettit

Monday, July 13, 2026

 

As California Governor Gavin Newsom positions himself for a presidential bid, he’s saying Democrats should stop dwelling on identity and gender-affirming pronouns to be what he has called “culturally normal.” A great place for Newsom to start is to dismantle the bloated diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucracy he created.

 

During his nearly two terms as governor, Newsom has dumped resources into committees, personnel, meetings, and reports, all of which are portrayed as accomplishments. Beyond just embedding identity politics into governing, Newsom’s record thus far is unleashing incoherent and uncoordinated DEI programs that erode core government functions. Despite the governor’s changing  political rhetoric, the promotion of DEI continues.

 

This year, the state’s pension fund for government employees, known as CalPERS, hired a new Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. It’s hard to determine what this person actually does. The job description states the individual will serve as a “thought leader” and speak to the financial community about the importance of DEI. It is unclear how this relates to CalPERS’s purpose of administering retirement and health benefits. Such DEI-induced mission creep in state departments and agencies is pervasive.

 

For example, state agriculture department employees conduct meetings throughout the year to recognize selected groups through its DEI committee. A recent “LGBTQ+ Pride Month” panel discussion begins with a reference to the 1969 Stonewall riot in New York City. Yes, this event helped establish gay rights, but what does this have to do with California agriculture? Taxpayers and farmers might wonder what value there is in government employees agreeing among themselves on the importance of gay rights.

 

If administration leaders feel the state workforce needs DEI lessons, California’s Racial Equity Commission would appear suited to the task. Established by a Newsom executive order, the organization has seven staff members and an eleven-member commission. The organization is charged with providing DEI technical assistance to government. Their specialty, however, is writing lengthy reports with vague language that nobody has time to read.

 

Their primary work product, a racial equity “framework,” is 334 pages of lofty aspirations such as “promoting healing.” Favored words are “tools and toolkits,” references that appear over 500 times. One of these tools, called “restorative practices,” is said to help government entities support what are deemed marginalized communities. Presumably with the ill-defined tool, state government can be more attentive to certain zip codes, or whatever criteria bureaucrats choose.

 

While the Racial Equity Commission is supposed to help government navigate its diversity quest, other state organizations and personnel have the same mandate. Another agency, California Government Operations, is tasked with embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion in state operations. To that end, the governor appointed the state’s first Chief Equity Officer, whose job description includes providing a DEI framework for California departments and agencies. It’s not clear how this framework is any different than the Racial Equity Commission framework.

 

Meanwhile, the California Department of Human Resources has its own DEI toolkit which features web-based tutorials such as how to add preferred pronouns to an e-mail signature block. Its so-called language guide admonishes people to say, “the public,” instead of “Americans.” The HR Department’s DEI survey enables employees to assess what is described as their organization’s DEI journey. Questions include whether employees feel their managers are culturally competent.

 

More DEI is entrenched in state government. California’s transportation departments and agencies, such as CAL Trans, are guided by an interagency equity advisory committee. Over a dozen members are to develop recommendations and yet more tools for transportation planning and funding programs. The California Department of Finance has a DEI workgroup to develop an inclusive workforce. Several departments and agencies have senior-level DEI executives. Perhaps they too dabble in frameworks and tools.

 

Newsom-supported measures insert state government into private sector personnel matters as well. Among California’s Civil Rights Department requirements are determining an employee’s gender identity by scrutinizing records of self-identified pronouns. Companies with 100 or more employees must submit the report, which includes government-identified racial groups. A rulemaking process is underway to require venture capitalists to survey company founders to determine racial and sexual orientation categories.

 

California’s DEI bureaucracy exists in parallel to traditional human resources and equal employment opportunity offices in state government. Non-discrimination in hiring practices and employment is based on long-standing federal and state law and legal precedent. Newsom’s changing views on the importance of identity politics reveal what California’s DEI regime really is: government-sanctioned support of a passing political fad.