By the slimmest of margins of legal process, the Education Committee is obliged to hear AB 715 for a third time. AB 715 authors claim that sweeping oversight of antisemitism in our educational system is needed to make our classrooms safe. What has been argued for ineffectively for a year (almost to the day) now, by every trick in the book, wants a third try with hours left in the legislative session.
Please let your State Senators know that you are opposed to AB 715
The CA Coalition to Defend Public Education* requests we reject AB 715. AB 715, as amended, is a deeply flawed bill with potentially disastrous consequences for both free speech and for protecting Jews from antisemitism.
“…extraordinary exceptions have been made to carry forward the harmful demands of the bill, and the latest amended language continues to bury the bill’s true and ultimate intent of censoring what is taught…” (CA Coalition to Defend Public Education).
Because the bill did not adhere to basic civil liberties and because of the growing coalition against AB 715, the bill’s proponents seek to amend the bill so it needs to be heard by just one Senate Committee, and the proponents have waited until the last minute (of the last day of the legislative session) to provide the amended language.
The proponents of AB 715 answer that the highly objectionable office of “Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator,” the key carryover provision from the original bill, would be to add a separate bill, SB 48, to patch in a “Religious Discrimination Coordinator.”
We are expected to believe that the addition of two curriculum control officers would represent a balance. And what could possibly go wrong with a state-sponsored official with the title of Religious Discrimination Coordinator?
The last-minute amended AB 715 still elevates antisemitism above other forms of discrimination and maintains that “vilification” (which is open to anyone’s interpretation) of Israel’s actions constitutes discrimination.
The last-second amended AB 715 also would make sure that deviations from the bill’s requirements are addressed as discrimination and remedied.
Because AB 715 curtails the fundamental freedom of debate we hope our Senate committee chairs will reject the bill for a third and final time.
We reaffirm our Jewish siblings’ and all students’ rights to academic freedom, to collectively learn without artificial inhibitions, examining history and culture collectively, and all human endeavor critically.
Classrooms have laws to keep all students safe. We, the co-signers, are convinced that AB 715 will harm the classroom, and make classrooms and our communities less safe.
*CA Coalition to Defend Public Education is made up of over 117 California educational organizations, like the California Teachers Association, social justice organizations, law organizations and faith based groups. Millions of Californians say no to AB 715.
“AB 715, as amended, is a deeply flawed bill with potentially disastrous consequences for both free speech and for protecting Jews from antisemitism.”
So then, how would you protect Jews from antisemitism on school campuses?
From EdSource: https://edsource.org/2025/protecting-academic-freedom-california/739700
“State and federal laws already prohibit discrimination in schools and AB 715 creates more problems than it solves.”
And earlier in the article, describing the core problem:
“AB 715’s use of vague language to address ‘antisemitic learning environments’ is so sweeping and imprecise that it will only serve to invite politically motivated attacks on teachers and students, while chilling open classroom discourse. Consider what it could mean in a real classroom: A student brings in an article from Haaretz (one of Israel’s most respected newspapers) criticizing government policies. Could a discussion on this be deemed antisemitic? Yes, it could.”
The article you reference is from last month. The bill that was subsequently passed in the Senate was amended and is markedly different from the language referenced at the time of the publication you linked.
RG say, “So then, how would you protect Jews from antisemitism on school campuses?”
You can’t – it’s baked into the pie
Yes you can, not perfectly, but we must fight antisemitism however we can wherever we can.
There are already laws against discrimination. The problem isn’t the laws, it’s people. People who don’t recognize Jews as a people, or have different standards for different peoples, or believe Jews are white, or believe Jews are a religion body exclusively, or see Jews as ‘successful’ and therefore not worthy or being protected as a people, or that all Jews are individually responsible for what the Jewish state does, or Jews must disclose their political beliefs regarding their homeland — when no other peoples are asked this, or whatever deluded reasoning that goes on in people’s heads — and that, unfortunately, also includes a sliver of Jews who themselves apply this to the rest of the Jewish people. It all contributes to Jew hatred, and no new law will change that.
What concerns me most about such laws that focus only on so-called antisemitism (Jew hatred/bigotry, let’s call it what it is), is that, while it is it’s own unique, weird and possibly the oldest bigotry — and that many westerners can’t even see it in themselves — it’s still just bigotry. I don’t want a special F-ing law for my people. Not only because it’s bigotry like all bigotry, but in singling out Jews, it perpetuates a common anti-Jewish trope — that we are “special” or treated special, or Israel is controlling the US or whatever other garbage. Such laws could actually escalate the problem by further propping the idea of Jews as being treated special. No one and no people should be treated ‘special’. Hate is hate.
Having said that, there is a great deal of anti-Jewish sentiment and activities in Davis and UC Davis that would not be so socially tolerated against any other peoples. I’ve heard that the vast majority of hate incidents reported/investigated on campus are directed against Jews – but I don’t want to say that definitively until I can confirm that (glad to retract if incorrect). I’m very glad the administration is going after so-called ‘antisemitism’ on UC campuses including UC Davis. But I am quite uncomfortable that it is directed only at so-called ‘antisemitism’ (anti-Jew bigotry) and not bigotry in general. If there are (these are made-up numbers) 30 anti-Jewish hate incidents, and 5 anti-Muslim hate incidents and 10 anti-black hate incidents, the powers that be should be going after ALL the hate incidents equally. I’m as concerned about how this looks as I am about hate against all peoples being treated equally.
As I said, no law that singles out a anti-Jew bigotry is going to help Jews — and may hurt our people as the bigots latch on to that. What will help is if the people of Davis take a moment to look into their own hearts and consider why incidents against Jews in this town are not met with the same outrage that would occur if they were against the groups that do get the public empathy/outrage. Why the double standard, for you ?
Senator Cabaldon representing Davis voted yes on AB 715 in the education committee but then reversed and was the only no vote in the Senate Appropriations committee. At this time I can’t find his final vote on the bill. The bill passed the Senate 35-0 with 5 abstentions.