(José Niño, Headline USA) Earlier this month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation making California the first state to appoint a statewide Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator for all public schools.
Assembly Bill 715, which takes effect January 1 and signed on the two-year anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, creates a new Office of Civil Rights and establishes a coordinator position appointed by the governor to develop antisemitism education, track incidents, and recommend accountability measures.
According to a report by the American Jewish Committee, the bill mandates that school districts investigate and take corrective action when discriminatory content is identified, with districts facing potential fines and teachers risking disciplinary action.
The Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California, which bills itself as the state level equivalent to AIPAC, made the legislation its sole priority for 2025 and coordinated a coalition of 72 Jewish organizations to push for its passage, per a press release by JPAC.
In an earlier press release that JPAC published in January, since 2019, JPAC has secured over $465 million from California’s state budget for security grants, Holocaust education, and social services.
“Today, California is sending a strong and unambiguous message — hate has no place in our schools and will not be tolerated,” said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel and Senator Scott Wiener, Co-Chairs of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus after the signing.
Yet every major California education organization opposed or raised serious concerns about the bill, including the California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union. “At a time when there are those that seek to weaponize public education, AB 715 would unfortunately arm some ill intentioned people with the ability to do so,” the union wrote.
More than 120 Muslim organizations urged Newsom to veto the measure, according to a September press release published by CAIR California. Hussam Ayloush, CEO of the Council on American Islamic Relations California, said after the signing that “AB 715 is not about protecting students from hate. It’s about shielding a foreign government engaged in genocide from being discussed honestly in our classrooms.”
In his signing message, Newsom acknowledged “urgent concerns about unintended consequences” and called for follow up legislation to address them, per a report by Politico.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
