Urge Newsom to Sign AB 7 and Update on AB 715

CFA members are focused on Assembly Bill (AB) 7, which currently sits on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. If passed, it will have serious implications for public higher education. 

We are asking our members and the community-at-large to call on Governor Newsom to SIGN Assembly Bill 7. 

This year, we were proud to co-sponsor Assembly Bill 7 (Bryan), which aims to expand opportunities for students who are descendants of enslaved people. Historically, systemic barriers rooted in chattel slavery and racial discrimination have severely limited educational opportunities for descendants of enslaved Africans. 

AB 7 provides a critical and necessary option for California’s higher education institutions—including the California State University (CSU), University of California (UC), independent institutions, and private postsecondary educational institutions—to thoughtfully and appropriately consider a student’s lineage as a factor in admissions decisions.  

AB 7 currently sits on the governor’s desk awaiting his signature. Please take action by clicking this link to urge the governor to sign AB 7. 

Unfortunately, the governor signed Assembly Bill 715 into law on Tuesday. While intended to combat antisemitism, the bill has numerous huge negative consequences. It will censor educators’ ability to engage students in discussions of relevant global history and in so doing, undermine genuine understandings of antisemitism. This will unnecessarily politicize the educational process.  

It should be of great concern for democracy and academic freedom if every educator teaching about Palestine, or other current events, is subject to reporting every time someone dislikes a curriculum or the way it is taught. This is why California teachers, including our members, and a vast coalition of labor unions, nonprofit organizations, and others were adamantly opposed to this bill.  

At a time when the Trump administration is targeting higher education by initiating the recent EEOC investigation of faculty, this bill will impose similar tactics on our fellow educators in K-12 public schools. AB 715 requires school districts to investigate and discipline teachers when content deemed discriminatory is used in classrooms or professional development.  

Our members are unapologetic supporters of academic freedom, which entails our ability to speak on critical issues of importance to our students and our community, even in the face of sharp disagreements. The freedom to exchange critical, meaningful ideas should extend to K-12, community colleges, and beyond. 

While we recognize the hurtful nature of this bill, we will do what we must to protect public higher education from unjust censorship.