At a time when California continues to confront historic levels of hate crimes and bias incidents, Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a coordinated anti-hate legislative package authored by Assemblymembers Dr. Corey Jackson, Josh Lowenthal and Rick C. Zbur into law.

Grounded in extensive findings from the Commission on the State of Hate and informed by a year of investigation by the Assembly Select Committee on Racism, Hate and Xenophobia chaired by Assemblymember Jackson, Assembly Bills 1578 and 1803 move California beyond symbolic gestures to institutionalize mandatory anti-hate speech and response training across state and local government agencies and private workplaces.

“AB 1578 recognizes what too many Californians already know. Hate is not abstract. It is lived. It shapes where people feel safe, where they work, and how they move through their own communities and the primary impetus of hate crimes is hate speech from elected officials,” said Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson, Chair of the Select Committee on Racism, Hate and Xenophobia. “This bill takes the findings of the Commission on the State of Hate and turns them into action. We cannot claim to value equality while ignoring the systems that allow hate to persist.”

Specifically, Assembly Bill 1578 (Jackson) requires state elected officials and elected local agency officials, beginning January 1, 2028, to complete mandatory training on responding to hate, de-escalation tactics, and confronting hate speech. The measure directly targets the root causes of public harm by establishing accountability for public leaders, recognizing that hate speech from officials often serves as a primary impetus for broader hate crimes.

Complementing this governmental standard, Assembly Bill 1803 (Lowenthal) requires California employers with five or more employees to integrate anti-hate speech training into existing mandatory workplace sexual harassment prevention programs starting January 1, 2028. The law equips employees and supervisors with practical tools to recognize, report, and confront workplace speech that vilifies, humiliates, or incites hatred based on protected characteristics.

“There’s no ambiguity in hate speech, so there should be no ambiguity in its prevention,” said Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D – Long Beach). “That is why AB 1803 draws a clear line that intolerant speech will not be tolerated in California’s workplaces. I am proud to have worked with my colleague Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson to incorporate anti-hate speech training into the state’s harassment prevention framework because the best tool for combatting hate is prevention.”

Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, a lead author of AB 1803, also welcomed the signing of the legislative package, emphasizing the importance of giving California workers and employers the tools to recognize and respond to hate in the workplace.

“Hate has no place in California’s workplaces, and every worker deserves to feel safe and respected on the job,” said Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood). “AB 1803 gives workers and employers the tools to better recognize and respond to hate before it escalates. I’m proud to have worked alongside Assemblymembers Lowenthal and Dr. Jackson on this important legislation and to see it signed into law.”

By embedding anti-hate education into both public governance and workplace safety standards, the enactment of AB 1578 and AB 1803 marks a decisive transition in California’s civil rights framework, turning research and legislative oversight into permanent statewide policy to protect targeted communities across the state.