Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday vetoed legislation that would have allowed public and private colleges to provide preferential admissions to applicants directly descended from individuals who were enslaved in the United States before 1900. The governor thanked the bill's author for his commitment to addressing disparities and urged educational institutions to review and determine "how, when, and if this type of preference can be adopted." "This bill clarifies, to the extent permitted by federal law, that California public and private postsecondary educational institutions may consider providing a preference in admissions to an applicant who is a descendant of slavery," Newsom wrote Monday in his veto. "These institutions already have the authority to determine whether to provide admissions preferences like this one, and accordingly, this bill is unnecessary."