MEMO - Support for AB 91 “MENA Inclusion Act”

SUBMITTED: May 13, 2025

COUNCIL MEETING:

VOTING RECORD:

Every 10 years, the US Census collects important data from the public, including demographic, economic, housing, and geographic information. This data is used for public reporting, which impacts decisions for redistricting, public funding, community planning, government policies, and resource distribution.

However, it is important to note that the data does not fully reflect the true number of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) individuals. Therefore, the City of Irvine should adopt this resolution supporting Assembly Bill 91 (AB 91), “MENA Inclusion Act,” to ensure accuracy in public data reporting based on ethnic, racial, or ancestral backgrounds.

Introduced by Assemblymember John Harabedian, AB 91 seeks to rectify the current practice where Middle Eastern and North African individuals are categorized as "white" in demographic data collection. The bill proposes to create specific categories for Middle Eastern and North African groups when data on ancestry or ethnic origin is collected by state agencies, boards, and commissions in California.

The bill reaffirms its intent to reflect necessary Census changes to ensure accurate community data. Included MENA groups include, but are not limited to, Middle Eastern: Afghan, Bahraini, Emirati, Iranian, Iraqi, Israeli, Jordanian, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Omani, Palestinian, Qatari, Saudi Arabian, Syrian, Turkish, Yemeni, etc; North African: Algerian, Djiboutian, Egyptian, Libyan, Mauritanian, Moroccan, Somali, Sudanese, Tunisian, etc; and Transnational Middle Eastern and North African: Amazigh, Armenian, Assyrian, Chaldean, Circassian, Kurdish, etc.

The actions of AB 91 would help resolve existing issues that the MENA community faces. Since they are not considered “minorities,” they have challenges in accessing resources and funding. This lack of classification can impact their eligibility for Small Business Administration (SBA) minority business loans, and issues with obtaining a private bank loan due to their names. Moreover, concerns with not being fully recognized as protected classes can impact the ability of law enforcement agencies to prosecute hate crime incidents. Lastly, due to their Census categorization as "white," research studies may not adequately represent MENA groups, hindering a comprehensive understanding of the issue. These are some of the issues that the bill aims to address and shed light on existing issues.

Irvine is one of the top five cities with the highest Arab American population in the State, meaning it would greatly benefit from this action. The Cities of Anaheim, Richmond, and Bell passed similar resolutions, with many more municipalities contemplating the same action. Ensuring accurate public data collection with consideration of diverse demographic groups promotes proper representation and appropriate distribution of resources to benefit all residents.

Although this bill may be limited to only MENA groups, it is a major step to reflect needed changes in US Census collection to ensure accurate reflection of our communities within Irvine and the State of California.

As such, the City of Irvine should consider supporting the following resolution to ensure Middle Eastern and North African groups are accurately accounted for during data collection.

I respectfully request that city staff place this “Support for AB 91 MENA Inclusion Act” Resolution on the May 13, 2025, City Council agenda.