Policy Agenda 2025

At CFJ, we are committed to advocating for policies that affirm our foundational truth – youth are the experts on education justice – and education justice is embodied by a relationship-centered, racially-just education system. This year, our priorities focus on addressing emerging and longstanding barriers impacting Black & Brown students across California including student mental health, threats of ICE presence in schools, and the allocation of resources and funding for students of color.

Our Legislative Agenda houses the bills CFJ will fight for from now until the end of the legislative session in September with the goal of advancing our collective work towards reimagining our schools as liberating spaces of joy, healing, opportunity, learning, celebration, and belonging.

This year, CFJ youth and staff are fighting for the following legislative priorities at the Capitol:

HIGH ENGAGEMENT BILLS

These are our top priorities for 2025. These bills address urgent and impactful issues that align with our core values. We strongly support these bills and will advocate for their passage, including at our annual Youth Power Capitol Day.

SB 531: Student Mental Health Education (Rubio)

Summary: SB 531 mandates age-appropriate mental health education for students in grades 1-12. Currently, mental health education is limited, with grades 1-6 lacking specific curriculum and grades 7-12 having curriculum embedded in other subjects. This bill will ensure that mental health education is explicitly taught to students in grades 7-12.
Why is this important for building Black and Brown youth power in California?Black and brown youth face disproportionate mental health challenges due to systemic inequalities and the stigma around mental health in communities of color. By providing an intentional curriculum in mental health education, this bill empowers students to recognize mental health concerns, deconstruct stigma, and seek supports that they may not have known were available.

ACA 7: Repealing Prop 209 for K-12 (Jackson) - SUPPORT

Summary: ACA 7 repeals Prop 209, which banned affirmative action, in public education. This bill focuses on offering opportunities for equitable education access in K-12 schools, particularly for historically marginalized communities.
Why is this important for building Black and Brown youth power in California?Repealing Prop 209 will help eliminate barriers that limit opportunities for Black and Brown students, including via lack of funding for students of color specifically. It will ensure that students from underrepresented communities have equal access to the education opportunities they need.

AB 49: Limiting ICE on School Sites (Muratsuchi) - SUPPORT

Summary: AB 49 restricts ICE's access to school sites. ICE officers would be required to present certain authorizations, including a valid judicial warrant and permission from the school district’s superintendent, in order to be permitted on school campuses. By creating a uniform statewide policy, this bill limits ICE’s presence on campuses and their ability to target students based on their immigration status.
Why is this important for building Black and Brown youth power in California? Prone restraint is one of the most dangerous forms of restraint used in school settings and the US Department of Education has recommended banning its use. Data also finds that this form of restraint is disproportionately used on students with disabilities and Black students. Ending this and other harmful practices is essential for us to transform our schools into places of healing, opportunity, learning and joy.
Status: Passed the Senate, waiting for committee assignment in the Assembly

Bob's new item

MEDIUM ENGAGEMENT BILLS

These bills represent issues crucial to CFJ. We are actively monitoring and providing support for these initiatives.

AB 68: Armed Resource Officers on School Sites (Essayli) - OPPOSED

Summary: AB 68 mandates armed resource officers in every school during school hours. The bill would require school districts to employ armed officers as part of their security measures.
Why is this negative for building Black and Brown youth power in California?Black and brown students are disproportionately impacted by law enforcement presence in schools, leading to increased criminalization and exacerbation of the school-to-prison pipeline. This bill poses a threat to student and school safety by creating a surveilled environment for students and furthering police contact as a form of discipline, particularly for students of color.

AB 860: LCAP & Equity (Sharp-Collins) - SUPPORT

Summary: AB 860 will create additional tools for county superintendents to help school districts address equity concerns in their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs). This bill ensures that equity is at the forefront of how school districts allocate resources.
Why is this important for building Black and Brown youth power in California?Demanding more equity in the LCAP process is a fight CFJ offices have long been engaged in. By ensuring equity in the planning and resource allocation process, this bill supports the needs of historically underserved students of color. It strengthens the ability of districts to address the disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes, helping create more equitable learning environments.
Note: AB 860 is currently an “intent bill”, meaning it is a bill that is still being flushed out and CFJ is monitoring its development.

LOW ENGAGEMENT BILLS

These bills are important to CFJ and we continue to monitor these initiatives as they develop.

SB 316: Voter Registration Information by Grade 11 (Reyes) - SUPPORT

Summary: SB 316 requires that all students receive information on how to register to vote by the 11th grade
Why is this important for building Black and Brown youth power in California?Engaging students early in the civic process empowers them to be active participants when they are ready to vote. By educating Black and brown youth about their rights and responsibilities as voters, this bill helps ensure that communities of color have a voice in shaping the policies that directly impact their lives.

SB 48: ICE Information-Sharing in Schools (Gonzalez) - SUPPORT

Summary: SB 48 prohibits schools from sharing any student or family information with ICE without a judicial warrant. It protects students and their families from unauthorized access to their personal information by immigration enforcement agencies.
Why is this important for building Black and Brown youth power in California?For immigrant families, fear of deportation has a significant negative impact on students' ability to focus in schools, instills a fear of attending school, and creates a dangerous, distrustful environment on campus - a blatant contradiction to the relationship-centered schools CFJ strives for. This bill helps to create a safe and inclusive environment where all students, regardless of immigration status, can be educated without fear of their personal information being shared with ICE.

SB 334: Sexual Violence Curriculum in K-12 (Reyes) - SUPPORT

Summary: SB 334 requires the inclusion of sexual violence prevention education in K-12 health curriculum. This includes information about Title IX rights, sexual harassment, and how students can report abuse.
Why is this important for building Black and Brown youth power in California?Black and brown youth are often disproportionately impacted by sexual violence and stigmas around sexual violence in communities of color prohibit youth from seeking help, disrupting their quality of education.

UPDATES

ACA 7 Passes the California Legislature

September 4, 2026

We are excited to share that ACA 7 (Jackson), also known as the Closing the Student Opportunity and Achievement Gap Act, has officially passed the California Legislature and is set to appear on the 2028 ballot! Californians for Justice (CFJ) celebrates the passage of ACA 7, a legislative priority for us over the past two…

End of 2025 Legislative Session: How Did We Fare?

October 14, 2025

The 2025-26 California State Budget has officially passed the legislature! On Sunday, Governor Newsom hit his deadline for signing – or vetoing – California bills, bringing the 2025-26 legislative cycle to a close. In this update, the CFJ Policy Team breaks down what that means for the racial justice & youth power bills on our…

Legislative Agenda

2024

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