Despite massive opposition from educators, unions, and civil rights advocates, a dangerous censorship bill is now on Governor Newsom’s desk. AB 715 is a direct attack on academic freedom, ethnic studies, and the right to teach and learn about Palestinian history and human rights.
This bill was fast-tracked through the legislature using a shady, undemocratic process to silence our communities. Now, we need your voice to stop it.
How did we get here? An undemocratic power grab.
This spring, our broad coalition—including the California Teachers Association and over 60 organizations—defeated AB 1468, a bill designed to erase Palestine from ethnic studies.
In response, lawmakers pulled a bait-and-switch. Behind closed doors, they gutted an unrelated bill (AB 715) and repurposed it into an even more extreme censorship measure. They then rushed it through a special hearing, deliberately bypassing standard public input and deactivating the official portal for opposition letters.
This procedural abuse allowed them to ignore the overwhelming voices of teachers, parents, and students. On May 29th, every single Assemblymember voted to pass AB 715.
Why AB 715 is problematic and dangerous?
Disguised as a bill to fight against hate – it’s really about silencing speech. Under this false banner of fighting antisemitism, AB 715:
- Censors Classrooms: It punishes schools for teaching Palestinian history and creates a mechanism for right-wing style book bans.
- Criminalizes Speech: It redefines “nationality” and “religion” in vague ways that could punish students and educators for criticizing governments like Israel.
- Creates a Witch Hunt: It establishes a special “antisemitism coordinator” position that doesn’t exist for any other group and strengthens complaint processes to target teachers and school boards.
- Wastes Public Funds: The bill is largely redundant with existing law, making it a pointless expense during a historic state budget deficit.
This is a Trumpian attempt to whitewash history and silence dissent, and it was drafted without input from Arab and impacted communities.
A Flawed and Shameful Process
AB 715’s journey has been marked by bad faith and a disregard for democracy:
- A previous bill AB 1468 was withdrawn early 2025 for being so blatantly pro-censorship that it would have been killed in committee.
- A new version was sneaked in just three days before the end of the legislative session, embracing the controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism to ban criticism of Israel.
- It was given waivers to bypass multiple crucial committees (Judiciary, Appropriations, and Education), robbing legislators of the chance to properly debate its constitutionality.
As Assemblymember Bonta stated, “We’ve been robbed of the opportunity to demonstrate that people can trust us in this process.”
CALL TO ACTION: Tell Governor Newsom to VETO AB 715!
Governor Newsom must veto this repressive and undemocratic bill. We cannot let California lawmakers silence Palestinian voices and gut ethnic studies.
Please contact Governor Newsom’s office immediately and demand he VETO AB 715.
How to Contact:
- Go to his official contact page: www.gov.ca.gov/contact
- Choose from the dropdown: “Active Bill”
- Scroll to the bill: “AB 715 – Educational equity: discrimination: antisemitism prevention”
- Leave a comment “in opposition” and urge a VETO from the governor.
Your voice is critical. Raise it for justice, for academic freedom, and for the right to our history.
For the full, detailed breakdown of AB 715’s history, legal implications, and coalition opposition, click here.
