The California state Senate voted 35-0 to pass AB 715, a bill that addresses Jew-hatred in K-12 schools, and the state Assembly subsequently voted 71-0 to pass the bill, which is now bound for the desk of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat.
At press time, Newsom had yet to comment publicly on the bill, which would prohibit discriminatory teaching material and establish a state civil rights office with a coordinator focused on Jew-hatred.
Five members of the state Senate and nine members of the state Assembly abstained or were not present during the votes on Saturday.
Robert Trestan, vice president of the Anti-Defamation League’s west region, stated that the bill is “a win for Jewish students” that is “a foundational step toward addressing systemic antisemitism in K-12 classrooms and a national model.”
“Despite fierce opposition, the Jewish community was united because nothing is more important than protecting our students,” he said. “We urge Gov. Newsom to quickly sign the bill into law.”
The co-chairs of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, state senator Scott Wiener and state Assembly member Jesse Gabriel—both Democrats—stated that they are “proud to see this critical anti-discrimination bill advance with strong bipartisan support.”
“The legislature is sending a strong and unambiguous message,” they stated. “Antisemitism has no place in our schools and it will not be tolerated.”
Roz Rothstein, CEO and co-founder of StandWithUs, stated that “antisemitism in K-12 education is a major crisis.”
“We deeply appreciate the tireless work of legislators, some of whom endured outrageous attempts to smear and intimidate them,” she said. “This bill was weakened, in part, because interest groups who are complicit in K-12 antisemitism have so much influence over our education system.”
“While we achieved progress, much remains to be done if California is going to earn back the trust of Jewish families,” she said.
