Priority legislation was crafted in partnership with Jewish leaders and constitutional experts to address antisemitism, hate crimes, and Holocaust education
SACRAMENTO, CA - Today, the California Legislative Jewish Caucus announced that Governor Newsom has signed all four of its 2024 Priority Bills into law. These bills will help protect Jewish students on campus, better educate young people about the Holocaust and modern forms of antisemitism, and address the concerning rise in hate crimes.
These bills add to the successes of the Jewish Caucus this year which include unprecedented funding in the state budget, including $160 million over two years for the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program, $5 million for the Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education, and $79 million for the San Diego Rapid Response Network.
“We are proud that in a very challenging year the Jewish Caucus was able to deliver major wins for our community” said Jewish Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D - Encino). “The Jewish Caucus will continue to unapologetically stand up for our community and our values while also advancing policies that protect all vulnerable communities in California. We are grateful to Governor Newsom for his longstanding partnership and to our colleagues in the Legislature who helped us move these important bills forward. We look forward to continuing to partner with the Governor and our valued community partners to ensure that California lives up to its promise as a global leader against intolerance.”
The Jewish Caucus developed this year’s priority package in close coordination with Jewish community leaders and constitutional experts. The bills align with Governor Newsom’s Golden State Strategy to Counter Antisemitism which was unveiled earlier this year.
The Jewish Caucus’s Priority Bill Package includes the following four bills:
SB 1287 (Glazer): Protecting Free Speech at Institutions of Higher Education
This bill requires colleges and universities to update and enforce student codes of conduct to better prevent violence, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination that is intended to interfere with free speech and other constitutionally-protected rights.
AB 2925 (Friedman): Including Jews and Antisemitism in DEI Training
This bill requires that any campus that chooses to provide DEI training must include training about discrimination against the groups most likely to be targets of hate – which includes the Jewish community.
AB 3024 (Ward): Stop Hate Littering Act
This bill seeks to prevent the distribution of hateful flyers, posters, or symbols that are intended to terrorize vulnerable communities. Hate littering is a tactic of harassment and intimidation that has been targeting Jewish communities and neighborhoods with large Jewish populations around California. Reporting from Jewish community media organizations have found the practice to have proliferated in almost all regions of California as well as spreading nationally. As recently as last month, disturbing antisemitic flyers were found on driveways of Jewish families throughout the East Bay and in neighborhoods of San Diego.
SB 1277 (Stern): Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education
This bill codifies the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education as a statewide professional development program for teachers under the Department of Education. The Collaborative will focus on the Holocaust and other genocides, as well as identifying and confronting hate and antisemitism in modern society.
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The California Legislative Jewish Caucus includes 19 members of the California State Legislature who work to advance the Jewish community’s top priorities and uplift vulnerable Californians of all faiths and backgrounds. Follow the Caucus on Twitter (now called X).