Sen. Sabrina Cervantes

Existing law establishes the system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state and provides for the establishment of local educational agencies to operate these schools and provide instruction to pupils. Existing law states the policy of the State of California to afford all persons in public schools, regardless of their disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other specified characteristic, equal rights and opportunities in the educational institutions of the state. Existing law requires, no later than July 1, 2021, the State Department of Education to develop resources or, as appropriate, update existing resources for in-service training on schoolsite and community resources for the support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) pupils, and strategies to increase support for LGBTQ pupils, as specified. Existing law encourages schools operated by a school district or county office of education and charter schools to use those resources to provide training at least once every 2 years to teachers and other certificated employees of those schools that serve pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive. This bill would require the State Department of Education, on or before July 1, 2025, to finalize the development of an online training delivery platform and an online training curriculum to support LGBTQ cultural competency training for teachers and other certificated employees, as specified. The bill would delete the above-described encouragement and instead would require, commencing with the 2025–26 school year and ending with the completion of the 2029–30 school year, each local educational agency, as defined, serving pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to use the online training delivery platform and curriculum, or an in-service alternative, to provide at least one hour of required training annually to teachers and other certificated employees at those schools, as provided. The bill would require each local educational agency to maintain records documenting the training, as provided. The bill would require the department to monitor compliance with the training requirement as part of the department's annual compliance monitoring of state and federal programs. The bill would require the department, within 9 months of the completion of the 5-year training period, to report data from that compliance monitoring to the Legislature, and post the report on the department's internet website, as provided. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require these provisions to be known as the Safe and Supportive Schools Act. This bill would make these requirements inoperative on July 1, 2031, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2032. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

(1) The Donahoe Higher Education Act establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, and the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state. The Equity in Higher Education Act requires, as provided, a campus of the University of California, the California State University, or the California Community Colleges to update a former student's records to include an updated legal name or gender if the institution receives government-issued documentation from a former student demonstrating that the former student's legal name or gender has been changed. Commencing with the 2023–24 graduating class, existing law prohibits an institution from requiring a graduating student to provide legal documentation sufficient to demonstrate a legal name or gender change in order to have the student's chosen name listed on the student's diploma. This bill, commencing with the 2023–24 graduating class, instead would prohibit an institution from requiring a graduating student to provide legal documentation sufficient to demonstrate a legal name or gender change in order to have the student's chosen name be the sole name listed on the student's diploma. The bill would authorize an institution to use a student's gender or legal name as indicated in a government-issued identification document only if it is necessary to meet a legally mandated obligation, but would otherwise require the institution to identify the student in accordance with the student's gender identity and affirmed name, as provided. To the extent that this requirement would impose a new duty on community colleges, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires the governing board of each community college district to implement a system by which current students, staff, and faculty can declare an affirmed name, gender, or both name and gender identification to be used in records where legal names are not required by law. Existing law, upon the request of an individual, requires a community college campus to update any records for current students, staff, and faculty to include the affirmed name, gender, or both name and gender identification, including, among other records, transcripts. Existing law prohibits a community college campus from charging a higher fee for correcting, updating, or reissuing a document or record based on the declaration of an affirmed name or gender identification than the fee it charges for correcting, updating, or reissuing that document or record generally. This bill would additionally require the Trustees of the California State University, and would request the Regents of the University of California, to implement a system by which current students, staff, and faculty can declare an affirmed name, gender, or both name and gender identification, as provided. The bill would, commencing with the 2024–25 academic year, require California State University campus systems, and would request University of California campus systems, to be fully capable of allowing current students, staff, or faculty to declare an affirmed name, gender, or both name and gender identification. The bill would, upon the request of an individual, require a California State University campus, and would request a University of California campus, to update certain records, and would make a related change. The bill would additionally prohibit a California State University campus from charging, and would request a University of California campus to not charge, a higher fee for correcting, updating, or reissuing a document or record based on the declaration of an affirmed name or gender identification than the fee it charges for correcting, updating, or reissuing that document or record generally. The bill would authorize a public postsecondary educational institution to use a student's gender or legal name as indicated in a government-issued identification document only if it is necessary to meet a legally mandated obligation, but would otherwise require the public postsecondary educational institution to identify the student in accordance with the student's gender identity and affirmed name, as provided. To the extent that this requirement would impose a new duty on community colleges, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

The measure would apply to the United States Congress to call a constitutional convention under Article V of the Constitution of the United States for the purpose of proposing a constitutional amendment relating to firearms, as specified.

This measure would denounce the actions of the Tennessee House of Representatives in expelling two African-American Democratic Representatives.

This measure would proclaim the month of September 2023 as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

This measure would proclaim September 2023 as California Emergency Preparedness Month.

This measure would commemorate June 2023 as the 80th Anniversary of the Zoot Suit Riots.

This measure would declare May as California Small Business Month and express the Legislature's support of the Governor's efforts in promoting small businesses.

This measure would commemorate the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea.

This measure would declare October 2023 as Women's Small Business Month and encourage all citizens to recognize the economic importance of women's small businesses in California.