☆ Palo Alto CM: College admission discrimination against local Asian Americans has been obvious, widespread, unfair

Santa Clara County citizens definitively oppose affirmative action in college admissions. But almost all local politicians oppose the Will of the People on this issue—except for Greg Tanaka, City of Palo Alto councilmember. He explains in this exclusive Opp Now interview about SCOTUS' Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard decision.

Opportunity Now: A lot of local left-wing politicians are having a tantrum about SCOTUS ending affirmative action in college admissions. Their arguments are emotional and weak, and they notably ignore the negative impact of their policies on local Asian Americans.

Greg Tanaka: I think when large, powerful institutions start putting their thumb on the scale of issues like this, all sorts of unexpected problems ensue. So I'm in favor of SCOTUS' decision in Students for Fair Admissions.

I'm Asian, but of course when I look back on recent history, I can't help but hear echoes of the discrimination Jewish students experienced at elite colleges in the '20s.

In the Bay Area, a concerning pattern has emerged involving Asian American students. As a public figure in Palo Alto, I mentor a diverse set of interns, some of whom are Asian. Annually, I pen recommendation letters for these remarkable teens. Yet, alarmingly, despite being highly qualified, these Asian applicants face regular rejections from elite colleges, while their less accomplished peers are accepted. This apparent inequity—seemingly tied to ethnicity—challenges the core principles of our supposed meritocracy. It's incredibly unfair.

ON: In California at least, in the American era, Asian Americans have been on the receiving end of very intense racial discrimination. Yet, amid all the calls for reparations and restorative justice for other groups, Asian Americans keep getting dissed by government policy and left-leaning politicians.

GT: My family's story in the United States began in the 1880s, when my great-grandfather journeyed from Hiroshima seeking a new life. Like many immigrant families, we've weathered hardships throughout our history, particularly during the tumultuous times of World War II. My upbringing in a challenging Los Angeles neighborhood was far from privileged, marked by experiences such as multiple break-ins at our family home, the constant presence of a drug den next door, and even the horrific experience of a serial killer targeting our neighbors.

These experiences bear testament to the fact that being Asian American does not automatically confer a privileged status, nor does it necessitate that some should meet a higher standard than others due to their ethnicity. My personal journey reinforces my conviction that one's skin color does not, and should not, dictate the opportunities available to them.

In the diverse society we live in, we all encounter unique sets of advantages and disadvantages that extend far beyond the realm of race. It is an erroneous notion to think that any single racial or ethnic group is perpetually advantaged or disadvantaged. Instead, our focus should be on fostering an environment of equal opportunity, where the playing field is leveled for everyone, irrespective of race or origin.

ON: We've observed this in other interviews about the SCOTUS decision: Santa Clara County citizens have voted decisively against college admissions affirmative action—more than once. But local politicians are overwhelmingly in favor of that affirmative action. You are the only elected politician in the Valley who, so far, has been willing to talk to us in support of the SCOTUS decision. What's up with that?

GT: This is what you get with a one-party state. There is no competition. And when there is no competition, bad ideas start to propagate. We need competition in all places, business, education, politics. That's where we learn that there is a relationship between merit and success; work and rewards. Without that connection, things fall apart. I worry we are increasingly losing that connection, even in Silicon Valley.