Nearly 700 Jewish Californians Converge on State Capitol for Annual Advocacy Summit; 50 Lobby Groups Will Visit All 120 Legislative Offices

Two-day Capitol Summit – headlined by Doug Emhoff, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and LA County DA Nathan Hochman – advances a six-bill package that includes a $100 million Nonprofit Security Grant request and the Safe Worship Zone Act.

SACRAMENTO, CA – Nearly 700 Jewish leaders, advocates, and allies from across California are gathering at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento today and tomorrow for Capitol Summit 2026, the state's largest annual Jewish constituent advocacy program, hosted by Jewish California (formerly JPAC). On Tuesday, 50 constituent lobby groups will fan out across the State Capitol to meet in all 120 California legislative offices, advancing a focused six-bill package addressing antisemitism, securing houses of worship and community institutions, and shielding refugees, food assistance, and Medi-Cal recipients from federal cuts.

The Summit's keynote program features former U.S. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, and Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies founding President & CEO Reuben D. Rotman. More than 40 California legislators are expected at Monday evening's reception with the California Legislative Jewish Caucus.

FROM JEWISH CALIFORNIA CEO DAVID BOCARSLY

“Nearly 700 Jewish Californians and allies traveled here from every corner of the state to urge their lawmakers to vote on bills that protect their kids' safety and the families who depend on food assistance. That is what the intersection of democracy and Jewish values looks like – and it’s what brings change.”

– David Bocarsly, CEO, Jewish California

“We are asking the state for $100 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. After the past two years, no Californian should have to weigh whether to send a child to Hebrew school against whether the building has a guard at the door – and that calculation is not unique to our community. Mosques, Black churches, Sikh gurdwaras, reproductive health clinics, and LGBTQ centers face the same threats and will benefit from the same investment.”

– David Bocarsly, on the FY 2026–27 security ask

THE 6-BILL PACKAGE

Countering antisemitism and protecting community institutions

• AB 1836 (Asm. Jesse Gabriel) & $100 million budget request – Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Includes a $100 million state budget request and expands grant eligibility to off-site community events. Co-sponsored with Equality California.

• AB 2664 (Asm. Rebecca Bauer-Kahan) – Safe Worship Zone Act. Establishes a 100-foot bubble zone around houses of worship, modeled on Colorado law upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

• SB 1387 (Sen. Henry Stern) – Adds Jewish as an ethnicity option in state data systems alongside religious categorization.

Backfilling federal cuts to vulnerable Californians

• $20 million budget request – Continuation funding for refugee resettlement services threatened by federal funding changes.

• AB 2161 (Asm. Mia Bonta) – Protect Medi-Cal Coverage. Auto-verifies work-requirement compliance using existing public data so eligible Californians don't lose coverage to paperwork.

• AB 2299 (Asm. Lisa Calderon) – Protect Food Benefits. Expands a state CalFresh-equivalent program to cover roughly 1 million Californians at risk of losing federal SNAP benefits.

The 6-bill package and full 2026 agenda are available at jewishcal.org/2026-legislation, with the policy-priorities one-pager at jewishcal.org/summit.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

• Doug Emhoff – Former U.S. Second Gentleman; partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP; led the Biden administration's work to combat antisemitism.

• Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis – Lieutenant Governor of California.

• Nathan Hochman – Los Angeles County District Attorney.

• Jonathan Greenblatt – CEO and National Director, Anti-Defamation League (ADL); former Special Assistant to President Obama.

• Reuben D. Rotman – Founding President & CEO, Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies (NJHSA), supporting 170+ agencies across the U.S., Canada, and Israel.

Plus: 75 total speakers over the two-day program.

2026 HONOREES

• Legislators of the Year: Asm. Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood) and Asm. Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay), authors of AB 715, California's landmark K-12 antisemitism education law signed in 2025.

• Civic Leader of the Year: Dr. Anita Friedman, Executive Director of Jewish Family and Children's Services (JFCS), recognized for decades of leadership fighting antisemitism, providing Holocaust survivor support and care for vulnerable Californians, and building Jewish California’s infrastructure.