SACRAMENTO — The California Assembly voted 62-0 to pass the bill, and the California Senate voted 38-0 to concur with the Assembly's passage of the bill. Governor Gavin Newsom has until September 30 to sign or veto the bill.

Senate Bill 1387 was authored by State Senator Henry Stern, a Democratic state senator who is Jewish. The advocacy group Jewish California sponsored the legislation.

The bill allows individuals to identify their race separately from selecting 'Jewish' for ethnicity. The legislation was updated to exempt agencies from adding the 'Jewish' option if doing so would cause them to lose federal funding.

The bill prohibits agencies from disclosing personal identifying information and mandates that all published data remain strictly aggregate. It explicitly prohibits using the collected information to establish individual registries, for law enforcement purposes, or for immigration enforcement purposes.

The statutory requirements of the bill are scheduled to take effect in January 2029. The first formal reports under the bill are slated for publication beginning in January 2030.

David Bocarsly, CEO of Jewish California, said the measure ensures visibility for the community. "SB 1387 makes sure that we are seen and included when the state counts ethnic communities, a national first." He added that good data supports policy making. "Good data makes good policy, and this bill means hate crime reports, health surveys, and education data will finally reflect who we actually are."

Bocarsly noted that the California Legislature has passed laws in recent years to collect more inclusive demographic data on Middle Eastern, North African and LGBTQ+ communities. "It’s about inclusion as a community," he said.

Sydney Levy, affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace, questioned the security of the data. "When it comes to government holding lists of Jews, we do not trust your privacy guardrails," Levy said.

"Latino Jews like myself, as well as other Jews of color, have cultures and experiences different from those of white Jews," she said. The bill affects individuals who identify as Jewish, including Latino Jews, by allowing them to self-identify as Jewish in demographic data collected by state agencies.

Stern discussed his personal connection to the issue. "This bill is just trying to create a little more space for those kinds of people — just let them be seen," Stern said. He tempered expectations regarding the immediate impact.

"I don’t think it’s going to be a radical transformation," he said. "I don’t think it’s going to change the world."

A Pew Research Center study in 2020 found that 52% of Jewish respondents view ancestry as essential to their Jewish identity. The same study found that 55% of Jewish respondents point to culture as essential to their Jewish identity. Additionally, 36% of Jewish respondents define their identity purely through religion.

Why It Matters

The measure follows a pattern of recent legislative efforts in California to expand demographic data collection to include Middle Eastern, North African, and LGBTQ+ communities. The voluntary nature of the identification and the aggregate reporting requirements are designed to balance the goal of visibility with privacy protections. The implementation timeline, with effects starting in 2029 and reporting in 2030, allows state agencies time to adjust their data collection systems while ensuring compliance with federal funding requirements.

Timeline

Stern began wearing a kippah to work regularly after October 2023. Stern was yelled at with an antisemitic remark by people in a car while walking to synagogue with his daughter in October 2023.

The legislation was updated to exempt agencies from adding the 'Jewish' option if doing so would cause them to lose federal funding on August 28, 2026. The California Legislature passed Senate Bill 1387 on Monday, August 31, 2026. The California Senate voted 38-0 to concur with the Assembly's passage of the bill on August 31, 2026. The California Assembly voted 62-0 to pass the bill on August 31, 2026.

What's New

SB 1387 would define ethnicity to include Jewish identity and require state agencies that directly or by contract collect demographic data as to the ancestry or ethnic origin of Californians to use a separate collection category and tabulation for Jewish ancestry or ethnicity, as specified. The bill was authored by State Senator Stern and sponsored by the advocacy group Jewish California. The Assembly passed it with a 62-0 vote, and the Senate concurring on a 38-0 vote.

The bill passed the Assembly with a 62-0 vote and the Senate with a 38-0 vote, and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk, where it awaits a signature or veto ahead of the September 30 deadline. Research titled "V. The California Legislature" was published in 1949 in California Government.

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on the specific details regarding the collection of demographic data. The California Senate Bill 1387 text states that Senate Bill 1387 requires state agencies that collect demographic information on ancestry or ethnic origin to include 'Jewish' as an option. Leginfo.legislature.ca.gov states that SB 1387 would define ethnicity to include Jewish identity and require state agencies that directly or by contract collect demographic data as to the ancestry or ethnic origin of Californians to use a separate collection category and tabulation.