State agencies: Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: demographic data: Middle Eastern and North African groups.

Existing law requires a state agency, board, or commission that directly or by contract collects demographic data as to the ancestry or ethnic origin of Californians to use separate collection categories and tabulations for each major Asian group and each major Pacific Islander group, as specified. Existing law requires these state entities to include the data in every demographic report on ancestry or ethnic origins of Californians by these state entities published or released on or after July 1, 2012. Existing law further requires these state agencies to make the collected data available to the public pursuant to state and federal law, except for personal identifying information, which existing law deems confidential. This bill would require these state entities to use separate collection categories and tabulations for the Middle Eastern and North African group, as specified. The bill would require these state entities to include the data in every demographic report on ancestry or ethnic origins of California by these state entities published or released on or after January 1, 2026. The bill would require these state entities to make the data available to the public, except as specified, including personal identifying information, which the bill would deem confidential. The bill would require these state entities to update their data collection to reflect additional Middle Eastern and North African groups as they are reported by the United States Census Bureau, as specified. Existing law establishes the state prisons under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Existing law requires the department to collect voluntary self-identification demographic data on the race and ethnic origin of the people admitted, in custody, and released and paroled, as specified. Existing law requires the department to publish monthly the data, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, as specified. Existing law also requires the data be available on the department's internet website, except for personally identifying information, which existing law deems confidential. The bill would require the department to additionally collect demographic data for certain groups, including, among others, the Middle Eastern, North African, and Transnational Middle Eastern and North African groups. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.