Dec. 1, 2025
California wrote the law to fight racial injustice; now it's up to the courts to follow it
California is facing a dual crisis as the engineered stone silicosis epidemic among immigrant workers grows -- now over 435 confirmed cases -- and courts struggle to manage hundreds of complex, coordinated lawsuits, creating both a public health and legal emergency.
Ash Kalra
Ash Kalra represents California's 25th Assembly District, which encompasses the majority of San José, including downtown and open space areas in southeast Santa Clara County. He was first elected in 2016, becoming the first Indian American to serve in the California Legislature in state history, and was re-elected to his fifth term in 2024. Kalra is also the chair of the Committee on Judiciary and serves as a member on the Housing & Community Development, Labor & Employment, Natural Resources, and Utilities & Energy committees.
As a member of California's legislative branch, I fully appreciate and respect our separation of powers. It is the responsibility of the legislative branch to write the law and for the courts to apply it fairly, case-by-case. However, in the face of unprecedented racial disparities and continued roadblocks in courts to apply the law, there comes a time when we must demand more from our systems of power.
In OSPD v. Bonta (S284496, filed Apr. 2024), a coalition of five...
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