Following a spring that saw rising tensions in schools and intensifying protests at universities over the Israel-Hamas war, the California Assembly will consider three bills that would require lessons on the Holocaust and genocide in K-12 classrooms, limit demonstrations on campuses and require instruction on anti-Semitism at universities that provide diversity, equity and inclusion training.

The move comes as Congress quickly votes on hundreds of bills twice a year in each chamber to decide which bills to send to the Senate and House of Representatives before the session ends on Aug. 31.

The bill faces strong opposition from pro-Palestinian groups. Jewish voice for peace and Council on American-Islamic Relations So do civil rights groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union.

The proposed legislation is California State Jewish CaucusThe bill, which was created by a group of lawmakers whose members include authors and co-authors, says it will protect Jewish students in California at a time of heightened anti-Semitism following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the retaliatory war in Gaza. They also say the bill is a way to protect other minority groups who face discrimination.

Holocaust and Genocide Education

Senate Bill 1277 would “require statewide teacher professional development programs on genocide, including the Holocaust, for teachers in school districts, county offices of education and charter schools.” California Teachers Association Collaborating for Holocaust and Genocide EducationA group coordinated by the Bay Area Jewish Family and Children's Services and Holocaust Center will be in charge of creating the program.

The joint project will focus on education about the Holocaust and other genocides “including but not limited to the genocides against Armenians, Bosnians, Cambodians, Guatemalans, Native Americans, Rwandans, Uighurs, and others,” as well as “identifying and confronting anti-Semitism and hatred in contemporary society.”

Sen. Henry Stern, a Democrat who represents parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, introduced the bill last winter. It faces opposition from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which argues that the consortium in charge of teacher education is “led by pro-Israel groups.”

Restrictions on Campus Protests

Senate Bill 1287 would require leaders of California State University and the University of California to “prevent and address conduct that creates a hostile environment for students on campus or results in discriminatory treatment of students on campus on the basis of the student's actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or disability status.”

A last-minute change was made to exempt community colleges from this requirement.

If passed, the bill would require universities to “prohibit conduct that limits or denies the ability to participate in or benefit from the free exchange of ideas” and require universities to post permit requirements for campus protests. It could also become law. Higher education institutions would be required to impose restrictions on “when, where and how” protests are permitted. Many, if not all, universities already do so, but enforcement of such rules has been uneven over the past year.

The bill also provides that higher education institutions must create mandatory training programs to instruct students in the details of these rules and restrictions.

The bill was authored by Sen. Steve Glaser, a Democrat who represents parts of the Bay Area, including much of Contra Costa County. Opponents include the ACLU of California Action, Arab American Citizens Council, Jewish Voice for Peace of Los Angeles and the Palestinian American Federation. These groups, along with other pro-Palestinian groups, argue that the bill is worded in a way that will stifle pro-Palestinian protests and speech.

DEI Training

Assembly Bill 2925 would require college-level diversity, equity and inclusion training to include “the five most targeted groups in the state,” including Jewish and Black residents, who are the most common victims of hate crimes across the United States.

Sponsors of the Assembly bill include Democratic Rep. Laura Friedman, a former Glendale City Council member. Pro-Palestinian groups have opposed it in part, saying the training may not need to include anti-Muslim or anti-Arab racism because those groups aren't always on the list of people most targeted for hate crimes in a given year.

To ease concerns, the bill was amended to clarify that universities would not be prohibited from offering training on discrimination against other targeted groups.

Shelved: Changing ethnic studies

On Thursday, bill authors withdrew a bill that would have required high school ethnic studies programs to be developed “in collaboration” with parents and educators to ensure materials are not anti-Semitic.

The bill's sponsors include Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbar, D-Los Angeles, but the California Jewish Public Affairs Committee said in a letter Thursday that the bill will be withdrawn.

“The bill originally contained several effective measures to ensure that ethnic studies does not contain anti-Semitic or anti-Israel content,” the letter said, “but political and time pressures that arose during the legislative process have narrowed the bill's scope to the point that it will not achieve these objectives.”

The group said it will seek to pass a more comprehensive ethnic studies bill next year.