SACRAMENTO, California (Press Release) –The Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees held their final hearings Thursday afternoon.
Those committee votes are the penultimate legislative hurdle, notorious for killing bills quickly and quietly with no public testimony. That’s exactly why we spent the last few weeks asking you to email and call the committees.
It made a difference. Thanks to your help, every one of Jewish California’s six sponsored bills passed out of the Appropriations Committees – five in the Senate, and one in the Assembly. Here’s how the votes came out, and what it means for the rest of the session.
SB 1387 (Stern) – Recognize Jewish Identity as an Ethnicity
Codifies that Jewish identity is an ethnicity – in addition to a religion – and ensures it is captured when the state collects ethnicity data.
✅ The Assembly Appropriations Committee voted 11-0-4 to advance SB 1387 (abstentions are equal to “no” votes). It now heads to the Assembly Floor.
AB 2664 (Bauer-Kahan) – Safe Worship Zone Act
Creates a 100-foot safe worship zone around houses of worship so congregants can enter and leave without being surrounded, blocked, or intimidated.
✅ The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 7-0 to advance AB 2664. The bill has faced sustained, organized opposition, but thousands of calls and emails from all of you helped it clear this hurdle. It now heads to the Senate Floor.
AB 1836 (Gabriel) – Off-Site Events for Nonprofit Security Grants
Expands the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to include events in public spaces – Pride celebrations, cultural festivals, religious observances – and not just nonprofits’ buildings.
✅ The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 7-0 to advance AB 1836. It now heads to the Senate Floor.
AB 395 (Gabriel) – Equal Access to School and Public Events
Asks state agencies, K-12 schools, and public colleges to avoid scheduling major meetings, first days of class, or graduations on religious holidays. It also codifies Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover – among other holidays – in state law for the first time. Read more about the bill here.
✅ The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 7-0 to advance AB 395. It now heads to the Senate Floor.
AB 1763 (Lee) – Student Absences for Religious Observances
Guarantees K-12 students an excused absence for religious holidays, closing a gap in current law that requires principal approval.
✅ The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 7-0 to advance AB 1763. It now heads to the Senate Floor.
AB 1853 (Pellerin) – Hate Speech in Voter Guides
Bars false or misleading claims, links to external content, and hateful or discriminatory content – and it gives the Secretary of State and county elections officials clear authority to reject noncompliant statements. It was introduced after the 2026 primary election voter guide containing antisemitic and white nationalist conspiracy theories was mailed to 23 million households.
✅ The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 5-0-2 to advance AB 1853. It now heads to the Senate Floor.
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Preceding provided by Jewish California.