The California chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations California (CAIR-CA), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) California, the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC), and other members of the California Palestine Solidarity Coalition today expressed deep disappointment with Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing of three bills—SB 1287, SB 1277, and AB 2925—that effectively censor and suppress speech in support of Palestine and fail to address the rise in Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hate. These bills also perpetuate the harmful false narrative that equates criticism of Israel with antisemitism.
SB 1287 will stifle student protests at colleges and universities by requiring the California State University system to adopt new, vague “codes of conduct” for campus protests and enforce them in unspecified ways. The bill would also request the University of California adopt similar updated codes of conduct. Students and faculty advocating for Palestinian human rights are already at greater risk of being silenced or harshly disciplined for their activism. The passage of SB 1287 sends the chilling message that peaceful speech and political expression in support of Palestine on campus will be arbitrarily restricted.
SB 1277 will largely place power with the California Teacher’s Collaborative to conduct teacher training and curriculum development for Holocaust and genocide education in grades 7–12. The Collaborative includes organizations that deny the ongoing genocide in Gaza, despite the International Court of Justice ruling that Israel has plausibly committed genocide. It is crucial to teach the history of genocides, including the Holocaust, but such education must remain unbiased and inclusive of various communities currently and historically affected by genocide.
AB 2925 will require public higher education institutions to train students on various forms of bias and discrimination based on unreliable law enforcement data, which vastly undercounts incidents of hate and bias against Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians. The original intent of AB 2925 was to address both Islamophobia and antisemitism; however, the bill would make the inclusion of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hate in these trainings optional, despite the drastic rise in anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents.
All three of these bills will contribute to creating a hostile campus environment for students, teachers, and professors as they demand a U.S. arms embargo on Israel and call for an end to the genocide in Gaza.
In a statement, CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush said:
“These bills collectively represent a dangerous trend of silencing and delegitimizing those advocating for an end to Israel’s atrocities and ongoing genocide in Gaza. By enacting such legislation, Governor Newsom has also failed to uphold his previous commitment to protect California’s Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities. In the past year, CAIR has seen the highest rates of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab hate in the history of our organization. Relying on flawed law enforcement data selectively ignores the real and present dangers faced by our communities.”
In a statement, JVP California’s Seth Morrison said:
“Our elected officials betray us when they support legislation attempting to silence opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza and illegal occupation of Palestine. The California Jewish Caucus, which introduced these bills, represents special interests that seek to conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism. They do not speak for us. We say, ‘Not in our name.’”
In a statement, AROC Executive Director Lara Kiswani said:
“By signing these bills, Governor Newsom is stifling criticism of Israel at a time when calls for peace and justice are as urgent as ever. This blatantly attacks grieving people and the majority of Californians who oppose genocide and gives a green light to anti-Palestinian racists and Islamophobes who continue to threaten our community.”
The California Palestine Solidarity Coalition includes multiple organizations throughout California, including CAIR-CA, JVP, AROC, and the Central Coast Antiwar Coalition. The Coalition focuses on ensuring that legislation relating to Palestine, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian hate is fair, balanced, and constitutional.
CAIR-CA is a chapter of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT:
CAIR-LA Digital Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com; Jewish Voice for Peace, California at jvpba.legislative@gmail.com