By Ankita Joshi
SACRAMENTO, CA – The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) has voiced their disappointment in Governor Newsom’s veto of bill AB 412, which would have created the California Commission on Human Rights.
On Feb. 3, Assembly Member Eloise Reyes introduced AB 412 to add and repeal Chapter 2.1 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to state government. The bill aimed to establish the California Commission on Human Rights as an advisory commission in state government.
Proposed responsibilities of the Commission included to “identify and evaluate California’s successes and failures in protecting human rights of individuals living within the state, determine statutory, regulatory, or budgetary solutions to better protect human rights, and report, at least annually, on the status of human rights to the Legislature and the Governor with statutory and regulatory recommendations.”
AB 412 was not only cosponsored by CAIR-CA, The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), and the Western Center on Law and Poverty, but was also co-authored by 17 members of the Legislature.
In his veto message, Gov. Newsom contends that “the work that would be entrusted to this Commission is duplicative of the work being done by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing,” and that “this bill creates significant cost pressures that are currently not accounted for within the 2021 Budget Act.”
While deeply disappointed by the governor’s decision, CAIR-CA and the American Muslim Community of California “remain deeply concerned for, and committed to, the protection of human rights for all Californians and will continue to advocate for solutions to promote these rights for all.”
Hussam Ayloush, CEO of CAIR-CA stated, “While deeply disappointed in Gov. Newsom for his decision to not prioritize the passage of a Commission on Human Rights, we at CAIR-CA will continue to prioritize and advocate for legislation which will promote these human rights across our state and show Governor Newsom why bills like AB 412 matter.”
