Several candidates in the California gubernatorial race told JNS that they support the bill that addresses Jew-hatred in K-12 schools that passed the state legislature over the weekend.
AB 715 would bar discriminatory teaching material and establish a state civil rights office with a coordinator focused on Jew-hatred. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has yet to comment on the bill publicly or to say if he intends to sign it. (JNS sought comment from Newsom.)
JNS sought comment on the bill from seven Democrats and two Republicans, who have said that they intend to run for governor.
Peter Opitz, a spokesman for Katie Porter’s campaign, told JNS that Porter, a former Democratic congresswoman who lost a senatorial primary before running for governor, supports the bill and “believes strongly that antisemitism and discrimination have no place in our schools.”
Antonio Villaraigosa, a former Los Angeles mayor and former speaker of the state Assembly, told JNS that “antisemitism should not be tolerated in our schools or in our communities.”
“Students should have the right to feel safe while attending school and should not be targeted for their religion or their faith,” the Democrat said. “By establishing an office of civil rights and an antisemitism prevention coordinator, AB 715 will help ensure that discrimination is not tolerated in California schools.”
Chad Bianco, sheriff of Riverside County and a Republican, told JNS that “the fact that our legislature had to water down their original bill to combat antisemitism proves we have a long way to go.”
“Antisemitism is hate and has no place in California, plain and simple,” he said. “Teachers and administrators found to be promoting antisemitic rhetoric should be fired.”
As governor, Bianco would “stand with our Jewish community and make sure our state draws a hard line,” he told JNS. “Zero tolerance for antisemitism anywhere, especially in our schools and in our kids’ curriculum.”
Toni Atkins, a Democrat who is the former president pro tempore of the state Senate and a former speaker of the state Assembly, told JNS that “as governor, I would consider any legislation that aims to ensure Jewish communities feel safe, supported and included.”
“I will always stand against hate in all its forms,” she said. “The rise in antisemitism and hate across California is deeply disturbing and must be taken seriously.”
Betty Yee, a former state controller, told JNS that the Jew-hatred bill “is needed especially now with the impact of hatred as it manifests itself regarding antisemitism” and that she would sign it into law as governor.
“However, we must address the hatred that is growing as we have experienced recently with the killing of Charlie Kirk,” she said. “The hatred of ‘the other’ is tearing the fabric of decency and acceptance of how we are called upon to love our neighbors as ourselves.”
“The hatred of Asians, blacks, Muslims and Latinos demands as much attention as antisemitism does in these troubling times,” Yee told JNS.
Stephen Cloobeck, founder and former CEO of the timeshare company Diamond Resorts and a Democrat, told JNS that he “100%” and “unequivocally” would sign the bill into law.
“There is no room for hate,” said Cloobeck, who is Jewish.
Antisemitism today is “getting demonstratively louder,” and “we have to stand up,” he told JNS. “If the governor wavers on this, I will make a phone call to Gov. Newsom.”
JNS also sought comment from Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host and a Republican, and from two other Democrats running for California governor: Xavier Becerra, a former U.S. secretary of health and human services, and Tony Thurmond, the California state superintendent of public instruction.
