An aerial view of the California State Capitol on February 01, 2023 in Sacramento, California. (Justin Sullivan/Justin Sullivan)
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A new government website in California allows people to search for local businesses based on the identity of their owners, but does not offer specific search filters for White-owned or male-owned businesses.
The Made in California website lets users search by business ownership categories, including: Asian-Owned, Black-Owned, Hispanic-Owned, LGBTQ-Owned, Native American-Owned, Pacific Islander-Owned, Veteran-Owned, Woman-Owned.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 40% of California’s population is Hispanic or Latino, more than 30% is non-Hispanic White, roughly 17% is Asian and about 6% is Black.
Christopher Rufo, a prominent critic of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, criticized the government website on X, noting, “The California state government has released a ‘Made in California’ website that allows you to select products by every identity group except for one: White men.”
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California’s official business directory allows users to search by several ownership categories but does not include filters specifically for White-owned or male-owned businesses. (iStock)
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk was surprised by the news, replying to Rufo’s post with, “Wow.”
“Managed by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate, the program is designed to help consumers and corporate buyers find products manufactured in the Golden State,” the New York Post reported. “To qualify, a product must have at least 51% of its wholesale value added within the state. Certified businesses can appear in the official public directory and use the Made in California seal on their packaging and marketing materials.”
Entrepreneur Will Fry, founder and CEO of American Operator — a company that specializes in American small businesses — spoke to Fox News Digital about the controversy.
“Support local business is not exactly the same thing as support the minority you like the most,” Fry said. “The concept of a Made in California database is great and one I can get behind. But I guess it comes as no surprise that California seems to have decided to turn it into a virtue signaling exercise about identity, and that should not be the focus of doing business. Last time I checked, red tape, untrained labor, and rising prices are hurting all small businesses, not just the minority-owned.”
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Small businesses across the country faced economic pressures, including rising costs, in recent years. (Photo illustration by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
Theo Wold, a former assistant attorney general and White House deputy assistant for domestic policy during the Trump administration, warned that he believes such race-based distinctions are part of a broader Democratic Party agenda.
“Race-based preferences — in college admissions or in government-run, taxpayer-backed small business lending — is anathema. But to be clear: race-based preferences have never been about remediating supposed systemic racism or the overrepresentation of certain racial groups in society,” he said.
“It’s always been a tool to manipulate demographics and to undermine White men,” Wold continued. “California’s policies show that, once empowered, the left not only disavows so-called ‘colorblind’ governance, but actively promotes advantaging certain races over others.”
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Fox News Digital contacted the California Office of the Small Business Advocate and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.