Four Bills to Curb Antisemitism Await Governor Newsom’s Signature

SACRAMENTO, California (Press Release) — The California Legislative Jewish Caucus announced on Friday that four bills from its 2024 Priority Bill Package have successfully passed the State Legislature. If signed by Governor Newsom, 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 now move to Governor Newsom’s desk, where he has until September 30 to sign or veto them.

“In a very challenging year for the Jewish community — with antisemitism and demonization of Jews on the rise — these bills are a sign of our continued progress toward making California safer for Jews and for all marginalized communities,” said Jewish Caucus Co-Chair Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). “Our Priority Legislative Package will directly confront the hate that has continued to grow in our state. We are proud to take a stand against hate and antisemitism and to embody our community’s resilience. We are grateful to our colleagues in the Legislature who helped us move these important bills forward, and we look forward to working with the Governor to ensure that California lives up to its promise as a global leader against intolerance.”

“In this difficult moment, the Jewish Caucus is proud to unapologetically stand up for our community and our values,” said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D – Encino), Co-Chair of the Jewish Caucus. “We are proud to be Jewish and to bring Jewish values into our public service. We look forward to continuing to partner with Governor Newsom, our colleagues in the Legislature, and community advocates to ensure that Californians of all faiths and backgrounds are safe and welcome in the Golden State.”

“Amid the troubling rise in antisemitism and violence against Jews on campuses, in workspaces and in public spaces, I am proud that the Jewish Caucus is laser-focused on legislation that prioritizes combatting this hate and making our state a safer, more compassionate, and more understanding place for all people,” said Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park), Vice Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. “The Jewish Caucus stands united and fully committed to working with other communities to advance our legislative package and ensure that the California Dream is achievable for all of us.”

The following four bills were included in the Jewish Caucus’s Priority Bill Package:

SB 1287 (Glazer): Protecting Free Speech at Institutions of Higher Education

This bill will require 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 and packets were found on driveways of Jewish families throughout the East Bay area and in neighborhoods of San Diego, linked to an antisemitic network committed to expelling Jews from America.

SB 1277 (Stern): Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education

This bill will enshrine the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education 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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Preceding provided by the California Legislative Jewish Caucus