(May 4, 2026 — Los Angeles, California) — StandWithUs celebrates the defeat of California Assembly Bill 2159 (AB 2159). The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Robert Garcia, “working closely” with multiple groups that have promoted or enabled extremism and hate. AB 2159 is officially dead after missing a key legislative deadline. It would have gutted key provisions from AB 715, but instead California’s landmark law against antisemitism in K-12 schools remains intact.
“AB 2159 was a transparent attempt to gut vital protections for Jewish students, backed by special interests with records of antisemitism” said David Smokler, Executive Director of the StandWithUs K-12 Fairness Center. “Its defeat is a victory for the Jewish community in California, and everyone who wants our schools to be free of extremism and hate.”
StandWithUs is proud to have been part of a statewide campaign which mobilized 10,000 calls and emails to legislators, opposing AB 2159. We are grateful for every Californian who took action, for our partners at Jewish California, for the California legislative leaders who did the right thing.
AB 2159 would have harmed the Jewish community and public trust in California’s education system by:
- Removing references to the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism from AB 715. This would make it easier for extremists who support the elimination of Israel, celebrated the October 7th massacre, and promote other forms of antisemitism to spread their hateful agenda in schools.
- Stripping out protections against bias, advocacy, partisanship, and one-sided political agendas in classrooms.
- Decreasing the authority and influence of the Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator role created by AB 715, and making it harder to hold the Coordinator accountable.
This was not the first attack on AB 715, and it will not be the last. We thank Jewish California for their partnership and will continue working with allies across the state to stand up for the rights of Jewish students, families, and educators in K-12 schools.
