Six 'critically important' Bills for Jews advance to final floor votes in California state legislature

All six bills sponsored by Jewish California and deemed "critically important" To the Jewish community advanced through their respective appropriations committees in the California Legislature on Thursday, the advocacy group announced.

The committees assess whether the state can absorb the financial impact of each measure.

AB 2664, which would establish 100-foot protest-free zones around entrances and exits to houses of worship, and AB 1836, which would expand the California Nonprofit Security Grant Program to cover offsite events for eligible nonprofits, both passed the California Senate Appropriations Committee 7-0.

AB 395, requiring public schools and agencies to avoid scheduling major events on religious holidays including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and AB 1763, which would excuse student absences for religious holidays without requiring written parental requests and principal approval, each passed unanimously.

AB 1853, prohibiting hateful content in candidate statements in official voter guides, passed 5-0 with two abstentions.

SB 1387, requiring state agencies to recognize Jews as an ethnicity under state law and in data collection efforts, passed the California Assembly Appropriations Committee 11-0, with four abstentions.

All six bills now move to final floor votes over the coming two weeks.

"Every one of these bills solves a problem our community asked Sacramento to fix," Stated David Bocarsly, CEO of Jewish California. "We're grateful to the committee members and leaders who voted to keep them moving, and we're not letting up until they cross the finish line."