After a rigorous review process of hundreds of pieces of legislation, our 2022 legislative priorities include a slate of 28 bills and 10 budget requests being considered by the California State Legislature.

JPAC strives to represent two core pillars of Judaism: supporting our own community and lifting up society as a whole. This legislative agenda meaningfully addresses the Jewish community’s core safety concerns and provides critical social services for those in need.

At a time when antisemitic and hate-motived incidents have reached record highs, our agenda supports policies that tackle each stage in the evolution of hatred: education, preventing its spread, physical security, and community response. And yet we also aim to uphold the Torah’s most enumerated commandment – v’ahavta lere’acha kamocha (loving the stranger as yourself) – by working to combat poverty and inequity, and expand access to food, healthcare, and immigrant services.

This legislative agenda is a bold declaration that the California Jewish community stands up for ourselves and for all people.

Of the 38 priority items, we will focus on eight bills and budget requests (listed below) at JPAC Advocacy Day in Sacramento on May 9-10, 2022. Join us.

In Solidarity,

David Bocarsly

Executive Director, JPAC

SB 693 (Stern): Creates a large-scale study to assess the state of Holocaust and Genocide Education in the state.

AB 587 (Gabriel): Requires social media companies to report their hate content policies as well as how hate continues to proliferate on their platforms.

AB 1664 (Gabriel): Extends and expands the state’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) to waive the sunset clause and include security training. Security training is provided by many Jewish Federations and was used by Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker to escape the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX, in January.

Nonprofit Security Grant Program Budget Request – $80 million: Provides assistance to nonprofit organizations at risk of hate-motivated violence to enhance their physical security infrastructure. Last year’s state budget included a record $50 million for the NSGP, but it was still insufficient to meet the demand as over 350 organizations applied for funding. JPAC has championed this request every year.

AB 2282 (Bauer-Kahan): Brings penalties for wielding the noose, the burning cross, and the swastika into parity; expands code to ban these symbols in more places.

AB 4 (Arambula)/SB 56 (Durazo) – Health4All: Provides Medi-Cal health benefits for all income-eligible Californians who are only ineligible due to immigration status and age.

SB 464 (Hurtado) – Food4All: Provides state-funded nutrition benefits to all Californians who are ineligible for CalFresh due to immigration status.

Senior Nutrition Program Expansion – $70 million: Provides resources to help our Area Agencies on Aging – including several of JPAC’s family service agencies – meet the needs of hungry older adults and people with disabilities. With the imminent end of enhanced federal Covid-relief funding, we face a potential funding cliff that will drastically reduce current service levels, losing 7 million meals and harming approximately 26,000 older Californians.

Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles • Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund • Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco – Bay Area • Jewish Family Service LA • Jewish Family and Children’s Services of SF • 30 Years After • American Jewish Committee • Anti-Defamation League • Bet Tzedek Legal Services • ETTA • Hadassah • HIAS • Holocaust Museum Los Angeles • JCRC of Jewish Silicon Valley • Jewish Center for Justice • Jewish Community Relations Council of Sacramento • Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay • Jewish Family and Children's Service of Long Beach and Orange County • Jewish Family Service of San Diego • Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley • Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara • Jewish Federation of Orange County • Jewish Federation of San Diego County • Jewish Federation of the Desert • Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region • Jewish Free Loan Association • Jewish Long Beach • Jewish Vocational Service San Francisco • JVS SoCal • Rhoda Goldman Plaza