Legislation aimed at reducing antisemitism in California schools is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom after clearing the state Senate in a unanimous 35–0 vote late Friday, the final day of the legislative session.
Assembly Bill 715, authored by Assemblymembers Rick Chavez Zbur of Hollywood and Dawn Addis of Morro Bay, establishes a new Office of Civil Rights within the Government Operations Agency. The office will include an Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator who will monitor and report on incidents in schools and work with districts to address them. The role is part of a larger effort that will also add coordinators dedicated to preventing discrimination based on religion, race and ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation through related legislation.
The bill was revised significantly in recent months after pushback from education unions and civil liberties groups. Earlier proposals to define antisemitism, create a new complaint process, and mandate instructional materials related to Jewish history, Israel, or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were removed. Instead, the measure now emphasizes factually accurate instruction aligned with the state’s adopted curriculum and retains the existing Uniform Complaint Procedures.
Supporters say the bill is a step toward making schools safer for Jewish students, while also expanding the scope to address bias and discrimination more broadly. Incidents of antisemitic harassment and violence in schools, including cases that led to lawsuits against districts, were cited during legislative hearings as examples of the urgent need for action.
Opponents, including the California Teachers Association and the ACLU of California Action, remain concerned that the law could limit academic freedom and fail to provide equal protections for other religious groups. Some lawmakers also criticized the removal of earlier language that addressed Islamophobia, warning that the narrower focus may overlook other vulnerable communities.
Despite the concerns, the bill gained broad support from legislative caucuses representing Black, Latino, and Asian American & Pacific Islander lawmakers. Lawmakers noted that they plan to revisit the language next session to clarify provisions and strengthen implementation. The debate also revived discussion over state funding for ethnic studies, which is required for all California high schools beginning in 2025–26 but has yet to receive full financial support from the state budget.
Please….please….just once….one time.
Can CA politicians focus on the basics?
Just do that. Stop pandering, stop wasting my money, stop wasting my time
WELL SAID ! ! !
Don’t focus on race, focus on cultures. All cultures bring something good to the table. Otherwise you just have lunkheads creating more division in society while patting themselves on the back thinking “look how wonderful we are doing for the people”. 🙄
“Antisemitism” is a trigger word. People use it to manipulate because of its association with Nazism.
I’ve never known a single person that has a problem with Semites (a group which includes Arabs too). Rather the policies of Israel are what most people are concerned with…that and Israel’s influence on US policy.
This influence is evident in this very issue. Lobbyist tried to “mandate instructional materials related to Jewish history, Israel, or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”. In other words they tried to force Pro-Israel propaganda into our schools.
Why has the Armenian Genocide never been forced into the curriculum? Because there is no Armenian lobby in the US. Pointing this out will doubtless be deemed “antisemitism” too.
Of course the vote will be unanimous when it has “civil rights antisemitism” in its title – it would b political suicide in this state to vote against it….. gimme a break
Why don’t the Legislators go back to solving Real Problems and leave the Virtue Signaling to Gavin?
For many years, California universities have allowed terrorist sympathizers to attack Jewish students and restrict other students from getting an education. Now, it’s costing the State a lot of federal funding, so they need to be seen doing something to make things better. Yeah, it’s a show, because their hearts are with the terrorists.
Because we all know more laws always
fixes everything. 🙃
I’m waiting for a Bill to make it mandatory to wash your hands after using the restroom.
So, you’re looking for a “job creation” ordinance or bill to staff all restrooms with “Restroom Attendants.”
The sign in the restaurant restroom said, “Employees Must Wash Hands,” but after an hour of waiting for an employee, I just washed them myself and left.