JPAC Celebrates Major Legislative and Budget Victories in Sacramento

13 JPAC Priority Bills – Including AB 715 – Are Now Law, and Millions in Funding Supports Communal Priorities

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC) announced a series of major policy and funding achievements from the 2025 legislative session, advancing safety, inclusion, and dignity for Californians of all backgrounds. By Monday's deadline to sign or veto bills, Governor Newsom signed 13 JPAC priority bills into law.

“This year demonstrated what’s possible when Jewish organizations come together with shared purpose,” said David Bocarsly, Executive Director of JPAC. “We achieved historic progress to protect Jewish students, strengthen hate-crime prevention, and uplift vulnerable communities across California – and we did it by building bridges, working across lines of difference, and staying focused on our values. We thank Governor Newsom, the Jewish Caucus, and legislative leaders for standing with the Jewish community in 2025.”

Legislative Highlights At the center of JPAC’s advocacy agenda was AB 715 (Zbur, Addis) – a first-in-the-nation law to counter antisemitism and other forms of discrimination in California’s K–12 schools. This new law creates the nation’s first statewide Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator – a position dedicated to helping schools respond to incidents, train educators, track data, and recommend future reforms. It also requires swift responses when bias occurs and promotes inclusive learning environments so that Jewish students – and all students – can learn without fear. See JPAC's full AB 715 press release here.

AB 715, which earned overwhelming bipartisan support, was one of 13 JPAC-backed bills signed by Governor Newsom this year that address antisemitism, hate prevention, equity, and social justice across California. Additional highlights include:

SB 472 (Stern) – Holocaust and Genocide Education (JPAC Sponsored) Implements recommendations from the Governor’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education through new grants, data collection, and educator training.

SB 48 (Gonzalez) – Office of Civil Rights Expansion Establishes new coordinators to combat hate motivated by race, religion, gender, and LGBTQ identity – complementing the Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator and housed in the Office of Civil Rights created by AB 715.

SB 19 (Rubio, Patel) – Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act Closes a loophole in California law to ensure that those who threaten violence against schools, houses of worship, and other sensitive locations can be prosecuted.

SBX1-2 (Wiener) – Immigrant Legal Services Funds direct legal aid for immigrants and other vulnerable Californians facing detention, eviction, wage theft, deportation, intimate partner violence, and other actions that may be taken under new federal policies.

AB 260 (Aguiar-Curry) – Protecting Reproductive and Transgender Health Expands protections for reproductive and gender-affirming care, including tele-health access for Medi-Cal patients – important for reaching harder to serve populations.

AB 822 (Elhawary) – Commission on the State of Hate Extension Extends the Commission’s work through 2031 to continue monitoring and responding to hate crimes and incidents statewide. JPAC sponsored the 2021 bill (AB 1126, Bloom) that established the Commission.

AB 1034 (Ávila Farias) – Teacher Mental Health Training Ensures teacher-prep programs include youth mental health training before educators enter the classroom.