California lawmakers are advancing a pair of bills that could quietly reshape how the state counts its residents and how vulnerable communities protect themselves. One measure would recognize Jewish identity as an ethnicity on state forms, while the other would let nonprofits tap state security grants for events held offsite. Supporters say the duo could sharpen the data used for public-health, education and hate-crime responses, and help faith and community groups better secure festivals, rallies and religious observances. Both bills have cleared key policy committees and are now headed into budget and appropriations review in Sacramento.
What the bills would do
SB 1387, authored by Sen. Henry Stern, would explicitly define “ethnicity” to include Jewish identity and require state agencies that collect ancestry or ethnic-origin data to add a separate “Jewish” category and publish aggregated results beginning Jan. 1, 2027, according to California Legislative Information. AB 1836, from Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, would broaden the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program so it covers events hosted by nonprofits and ensures organizations without a permanent physical site can still qualify. Allowable uses listed in the bill include security guards, reinforced doors, lighting, trainings and security for onsite or offsite events, per the bill language on the Legislature’s site. Both measures amend existing codes and specify that aggregated data will be made public while personally identifying information must remain confidential.
Supporters and sponsors
Backers have folded both bills into Jewish California’s 2026 legislative package, and the group has mounted a coordinated advocacy push at the State Capitol, according to Jewish California. “For years, California has recognized that good data drives good policy, and has extended that recognition to community after community,” Jewish California CEO David Bocarsly told The Jerusalem Post, arguing the bills will help ensure Jewish Californians are not overlooked in public data.
Privacy and critics
Not everyone is sold on carving out a new identity box. Privacy advocates and some scholars worry about asking residents to disclose sensitive details to the government, even for seemingly benign statistical reports. UC Berkeley demographer Joshua Goldstein told J. that aggregated reporting can still pose risks if personal information is collected in identifiable form, and critics online have warned that a new category could be misused or stigmatize people who would rather be seen primarily through a religious lens.
What’s next in Sacramento
Advocates and the bills’ authors say both measures, having cleared policy panels, are now headed into appropriations and budget review as the Legislature shapes its summer agenda. As reported by The Jerusalem Post, the sponsors expect appropriations hearings in August and hope to send the measures to the full Legislature by the end of the month.
Why it matters
Proponents contend that more granular data and a broadened security fund would allow officials to better target resources, from public-health outreach to hate-crime prevention, while easing the financial strain on community groups that host public events. Jewish California points to Pew Research findings that many American Jews describe their Jewishness in cultural or ancestral terms as well as religious ones, and argues that recognizing that diversity in state data will translate into smarter policy for California’s communities.
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