California Advances Jewish-Backed Bills on Hate, Holidays and Schools

Three priority bills backed by Jewish California advanced through final policy committees in Sacramento, keeping Jewish communal needs on the August legislative track. AB 1853 would keep official voter guides from becoming vehicles for antisemitic conspiracy theories by limiting candidate statements to qualifications and giving election officials authority to reject noncompliant material. AB 395 asks public bodies and schools to account for religious and cultural observance, explicitly including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Passover. SB 549 would let transitional-kindergarten children attend heritage-school programs, protecting synagogue-run cultural and language education for younger families.