News In Brief

Organizers of an effort to end government-sponsored affirmative-action programs in California have announced that they have secured more than the required number of signatures to put their petition on the ballot in November.

Gov. Pete Wilson joined Ward Connerly, a member of the University of California board of regents who is black, in spearheading the movement. After the petition was submitted on Feb. 21, Mr. Wilson issued a statement applauding supporters' efforts "to create a truly level playing field on which all Californians can compete."

The proposal, known as the California Civil Rights Initiative, would bar the state from granting preferential treatment to individuals on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity in public employment or...