SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Assemblymember Mike Fong (D-Alhambra), Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, and legislative authors announced the “A Call to Action” legislative package, a 12-bill package aimed at preventing and addressing sex discrimination and sexual harassment in California’s higher education institutions.
In February 2024, the Assembly Higher Education Committee released a 30 plus page report examining how California’s post-secondary education institutions are currently working to address and prevent sexual discrimination and harassment on campuses. The “A Call to Action” legislative package is based predominately on those recommendations contained within the report.
Attendees of the press conference included Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay), Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael), Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Burbank), Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara), Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), Assemblymember Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro), as well as Lisa Baker, a student representative from the Student Senate for California Community Colleges and Pradeep Kundu, a student representative from the University of California Student Association.
“This package is a crucial step in creating a system of compliance and oversight that will increase transparency and accountability to address and prevent sex discrimination and harassment on college campuses,” said Assemblymember Mike Fong. “While there is still much work ahead, I am confident in the impact this legislative package will have for campus communities, especially students and staff. I look forward to continual collaboration between the Legislature and all California’s higher education institutions to address this issue of safety and equity on campus.”
“Whether it’s sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, or any other form of misconduct, no student should feel unsafe or unwelcome in their learning environment. Unfortunately, harassment remains prevalent on college campuses, potentially affecting students’ mental health and academic performance. We students, and future students, are relying on Title IX and this package of bills for our success…,” said Lisa Baker.
This package strengthens antidiscrimination policies and provides proactive solutions for post-secondary education institutions on the systemwide and individual campus levels.
Each bill in the “A Call to Action” legislative package is pending a hearing in their respective policy committees.
A Call to Action Legislative Package:
- AB 810 (Friedman): Requires all public higher education institutions to implement University of California (UC), Davis’ policy to conduct employment verification checks to determine if an applicant for an athletic, academic or administrative position has any substantiated allegations of misconduct from their previous employer.
- AB 1790 (Connolly): Requires the California State Universities (CSU) to implement recommendations from the State Audit by January 1, 2026 and submit additional reports on the CSU’s status in implementing the California State Auditor’s recommendations.
- AB 1905 (Addis): Places parameters around retreat rights, letters of recommendations and settlements for employees who have a substantiated sexual harassment complaint.
- AB 2047 (Mike Fong): Establishes an independent, systemwide Title IX office to assist with monitoring compliance throughout the California Community College (CCC), CSU and UC and establish the role of a systemwide Title IX coordinator.
- AB 2048 (Mike Fong): Requires each campus of the CSU, UC and each community college district to have an independent Title IX office.
- AB 2326 (Alvarez): Establishes the entities who are responsible for ensuring campus programs are free from discrimination and will require the CCC, CSU and UC to annually present to the Legislature on how their system is actively preventing and addressing discrimination on campus.
- AB 2407 (Hart): Requires the California State Auditor to conduct an audit every three years to examine the CCC, CSU and UC’s ability to address and prevent sexual harassment on campus.
- AB 2492 (Irwin): Establishes additional positions on campus to assist students, faculty and staff during the adjudication of a complaint of sexual harassment. These positions are separate from the Title IX office and can assist in connecting students to the Title IX office and provide support.
- AB 2608 (Gabriel): Requires campuses to include drug-facilitated sexual assault prevention training to their sexual harassment training.
- AB 2987 (Ortega): Mandates CCC and CSU, and requests UC campuses to provide timely updates on the outcomes of sex discrimination and sexual harassment cases to those involved.
- SB 1166 (Dodd): Establishes annual reporting requirements for the CCC and the CSU, while also requesting the UC to conduct an annual report on the outcomes of sexual harassment complaints filed with each campus, and a summary of how each campus has worked to prevent sex discrimination.
- SB 1491 (Eggman): Establishes a notification process by which students who attend a private postsecondary education institutions are informed of their right to disclose discriminatory events to the US Department of Education even if their institution is exempt from Title IX.
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Assemblymember Mike Fong represents the 49th Assembly District, which includes the cities of Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, South Pasadena and Temple City, and the unincorporated areas of Pasadena and San Gabriel. He serves as the Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee and the Assembly Vice Chair of the Asian American Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.