The bill prohibits the creation of registries identifying individual Jews and bars the data from being used for immigration or law enforcement purposes.
By Shula Rosen
California lawmakers unanimously approved a bill requiring state agencies to offer Jewish identity as a separate ethnicity category when collecting ancestry or ethnic data, a measure supporters say will provide a more accurate picture of the state’s Jewish population.
Senate Bill 1387, authored by Sen. Henry Stern, D-Sherman Oaks, and sponsored by the advocacy group Jewish California, passed the Assembly 62–0 and the Senate 38–0. The measure would make California the first state in the nation to formally recognize Jewish identity as an ethnicity alongside its classification as a religion in state law.
The bill is now awaiting action from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has until September 30, 2026, to sign or veto it.
Under SB 1387, state agencies that request information about ancestry or ethnic origin would be required to include a separate Jewish category. Identifying as Jewish would be voluntary, including on forms for college or public aid applications.
The legislation includes privacy restrictions requiring the information to remain aggregated.
It prohibits the creation of registries identifying individual Jews and bars the data from being used for immigration or law enforcement purposes.
If Newsom signs the bill, its requirements will take effect in January 2029, with the first reports published in 2030.
Supporters argue that existing demographic categories fail to adequately capture Jewish identity, which for many Jews is based on ancestry, culture and traditions rather than solely on religious observance.
Jewish California has said more precise demographic information could improve state data on public health, school representation, and economic outcomes.
Backers also say recognizing Jewish ethnicity would improve the accuracy of state data used to track hate crimes targeting Jews.
Critics have raised concerns about government collection of information identifying people as Jewish, pointing to the history of Nazi registries during the Holocaust.
Others have argued that placing Jews under a single ethnic designation could obscure differences among diverse Jewish communities, including Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Sephardic and Latino Jews.
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