The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) today welcomed the California State Legislature’s passage of Assembly Bill (AB) 2551. The bill will now advance to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature.
Authored by Assemblymember Sade Elhawary and co-sponsored by CAIR-CA, this legislation represents a critical step toward ensuring that Time, Place, and Manner (TPM) restrictions are equally enforced across the California State University (CSU) system, including regulations such as limiting noise levels, restricting signs on government property, or dictating protest times.
Following campus protests over the past two and a half years, CSU administrations implemented systemwide expansions of TPM policies without consulting student government or faculty associations. AB 2551 would prevent the selective enforcement of TPM regulations by requiring that they be applied equally to all students, regardless of the content of their speech.
AB 2551 would also require that CSU include demographic data on students penalized for code of conduct violations in their annual reports, and it would require campuses to hold hearings to allow students subjected to TPM restrictions to provide input on the fairness and enforcement of those policies.
In a statement, CAIR-CA Legislative & Government Affairs Director Oussama Mokeddem said:
“AB 2551 is an important step toward ensuring that California’s public universities uphold the constitutional rights of the students they serve. We have seen how supposedly neutral campus policies can be applied selectively, particularly against students advocating for Palestinian human rights or other viewpoints the schools’ leadership find inconvenient. Transparency and accountability are essential to preventing unequal enforcement—we cannot allow ‘neutrality’ to be used as a smokescreen for discrimination.
“AB 2551 passing through the legislature and moving to the Governor’s desk is an incredible success amid strong contention from some elected officials. We urge the Governor to sign this bill and commit to future efforts that safeguard the civil liberties of students in our state’s university systems.”
CAIR-CA is the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’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 or [email protected]; CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central California Senior Operations & Development Manager Elle Dunlap, [email protected]; CAIR San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam, (760) 201-7626 or [email protected]; CAIR San Francisco Bay Area Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, (408) 498-5779 or [email protected]