The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has signed onto a coalition letter pushing back against calls to withdraw AB 2159 (Garcia), legislation that would make targeted amendments to a school discrimination law critics say threatens academic freedom and open political debate. The coalition is urging the Legislature to hear AB 2159 in committee and not allow the bill to be derailed by a targeted misinformation campaign.
The letter responds directly to a March 17, 2026, press release from Jewish California demanding that the author of AB 2159 withdraw the bill, claiming it would “gut” AB 715—a school anti-discrimination law signed last year. The coalition disputes that characterization. AB 2159 makes three targeted changes while leaving the law’s core framework intact:
- Removing a reference to a document widely criticized for treating political criticism of Israel as antisemitism.
- Requiring that the Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator be hired through California’s standard civil service process rather than political appointment. AB 2159 addresses this coordinator specifically because other coordinators are being taken up in a separate bill, SB 988 (Gonzalez). The coalition supports civil service hiring for all coordinators and is working with Senator Gonzalez to achieve that parity.
- Eliminating a vague standard that allows discrimination complaints to be filed based on an educator’s perceived lack of “professional responsibility” rather than their actual conduct.
The legislation preserves AB 715’s civil rights infrastructure, including the Office of Civil Rights, all discrimination prevention coordinators, expanded student protections, and new complaint procedures.
In a statement, CAIR-CA Legislative and Government Affairs Director Oussama Mokeddem said:
“AB 2159 is not an attack on AB 715. It is the Legislature’s opportunity to keep its word. A broad coalition of teachers, administrators, labor unions, and civil rights organizations has raised serious, good-faith concerns about specific provisions of this law. Those concerns deserve a hearing, not a misinformation campaign.”
The coalition also disputes claims that AB 2159 was drafted without consulting the bill’s authors. Four organizations—the California Faculty Association, the ACLU, SEIU California, and CAIR-CA—requested meetings with AB 715’s authors and coauthors to follow up on prior commitments to address concerns. The coalition was directed to legislative staff instead, and at a January 21, 2026, meeting, staff indicated the authors had no intention of pursuing the listed concerns in cleanup legislation. In a good-faith effort, the coalition deferred to the authors on their stated priorities and introduced AB 2159 to address the remaining concerns raised by the education and civil rights community.
The bill is currently backed by CAIR-CA, the California Faculty Association, SEIU California, the California Labor Federation, Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area and the Arab Resource and Organizing Center Action. It is awaiting further support from major education and civil rights stakeholders pending published amendments.
CAIR-CA is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR Greater Los Angeles Area Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, 714.851.4851, eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central California Communications Director Zaid Hisham, 916.441.6269, zhisham@cair.com; CAIR San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam, 760.201.7626, tnizam@cair.com; CAIR San Francisco Bay Area Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, 408.498.5779, ladam@cair.com