AB 2294

AB2294:v97#DOCUMENT

Bill Start

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2294

An act to amend Section 135 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and to amend Section 6700 of the Government Code, relating to state government.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2294, as amended, Ta. State holidays: Sylvia Mendez Day.

Existing law designates specific days as holidays in this state, including, among others, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Cesar Chavez Day. Existing law designates certain days as judicial holidays and exempts others including, Lunar New Year, Diwali, and Genocide Remembrance Day.

This bill would designate Sylvia Mendez Day as a state holiday, but would exempt the holiday from being a judicial holiday. The bill would include related legislative findings and declarations.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) The landmark United States Supreme Court case Mendez v. Westminster School Dist. of Orange County (S.D. Cal. 1946) 64 F.Supp. 544, affd. Westminster School Dist. of Orange County v. Mendez (9th Cir. 1947) 161 F.2d 774 (hereafter Mendez v. Westminster) was a pivotal decision in the struggle for civil rights and educational equality for Mexican American students in California.

(b) The case arose from discriminatory practices occurring all over America where Mexican American children were segregated into “Mexican schools” under the guise of separate but equal policies.

(c) The Mendez v. Westminster case challenged these policies, asserting that the segregation of Mexican American children violated their rights under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees equal protection under the law.

(d) The United States District Court’s ruling in Mendez v. Westminster was one of the first major legal decisions to strike down segregation in schools in the United States, paving the way for future desegregation cases, including the landmark Brown v. Board of Ed. of Topeka, Shawnee County, Kan. (1954) 347 U.S. 483 (hereafter Brown v. Board of Education).

(e) Earl Warren, who was Governor of California at the time of the Mendez v. Westminster case, supported the legal action and the bill that led to the end of school segregation in California, and later was appointed as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, played a key role in the writing of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, which extended the principles of Mendez v. Westminster nationwide.

(f) Thurgood Marshall, an influential civil rights attorney and later an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, played a pivotal role in the national civil rights movement by a writing a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the plaintiffs in Mendez v. Westminster case, using legal arguments that would later inform his work on Brown v. Board of Education, helping to shape the legal foundation for desegregating public schools across the United States.

(g) California led the United States in banning school segregation, with the Mendez v. Westminster case setting a crucial precedent that resulted in the Legislature passing laws to eliminate school segregation in the state, well before the national legal landscape was transformed by Brown v. Board of Education.

(h) Members of the Latino community in California, particularly Mexican American families, were among the first to challenge and fight against the segregation of public schools in the United States, laying the groundwork for the broader civil rights movement and the eventual nationwide struggle for equal access to education.

(i) The case was brought forth by four Mexican American families from school districts in the communities of Westminster, Garden Grove, and El Modena, and the City of Santa Ana, with the support of civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and prominent figures such as Thurgood Marshall.

(j) The Mendez v. Westminster decision had a profound impact not only on the educational system of California but also on the civil rights movement, as it marked an early victory in the ongoing fight against racial segregation and discrimination in the United States.

(k) The legal precedent set by Mendez v. Westminster was a significant step toward the eventual dismantling of racial segregation across the nation and was instrumental in shaping the civil rights landscape of the 20th century.

(l) It is important to honor and recognize the courage of the families and the contributions of the legal and civil rights advocates who fought for justice in this landmark case, which continues to inspire efforts toward equality and inclusion in education and society.

(m) April 14 of each year marks the anniversary of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decision in Mendez v. Westminster, and it is fitting to commemorate this day as a reminder of the ongoing fight for equal rights and the importance of education in fostering a just and equitable society.

(n) It is the Legislature’s intent to declare April 14 of each year as Sylvia Mendez Day, in recognition of the significance of the historic Mendez v. Westminster case in advancing civil rights and promoting educational equality for all students in California and the United States.

(o) The Legislature encourages all Californians to reflect on the importance of the Mendez v. Westminster case, to honor the courage of the individuals who fought for justice, and to continue working toward a more inclusive and equitable society for future generations.

SEC. 2.

Section 135 of the Code of Civil Procedure is amended to read:

135.

Every full day designated as a holiday by Section 6700 of the Government Code, including that Thursday of November declared by the President to be Thanksgiving Day, is a judicial holiday, except the date corresponding with the second new moon following the winter solstice, or the third new moon following the winter solstice should an intercalary month intervene, known as “Lunar New Year,” the 15th day of the month of Kartik in the Hindu lunar calendar of each year, known as “Diwali,” April 14, known as “Sylvia Mendez Day,” April 24, known as “Genocide Remembrance Day,” September 9, known as “Admission Day,” the second Monday in October, known as “Columbus Day,” and any other day appointed by the President, but not by the Governor, for a public fast, thanksgiving, or holiday. If a judicial holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the Judicial Council may designate an alternative day for observance of the holiday. Every Saturday and the day after Thanksgiving Day are judicial holidays. Officers and employees of the courts shall observe only the judicial holidays established pursuant to this section.

SEC. 3.

Section 6700 of the Government Code is amended to read:

6700.

(a) The holidays in this state are:

(1) Every Sunday.

(2) January 1.

(3) The third Monday in January, known as “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.”

(4) The date corresponding with the second new moon following the winter solstice, or the third new moon following the winter solstice should an intercalary month intervene, known as “Lunar New Year.”

(5) February 12, known as “Lincoln Day.”

(6) The third Monday in February.

(7) March 31, known as “Farmworkers Day.”

(8) April 24, known as “Genocide Remembrance Day.”

(9) The 15th day of the month of Kartik in the Hindu lunar calendar of each year, known as “Diwali.”

(10) The last Monday in May.

(11) June 19, known as “Juneteenth.”

(12) July 4.

(13) The first Monday in September.

(14) September 9, known as “Admission Day.”

(15) The fourth Friday in September, known as “Native American Day.”

(16) The second Monday in October, known as “Columbus Day.”

(17) November 11, known as “Veterans Day.”

(18) December 25.

(19) Good Friday from 12 noon until 3 p.m.

(20) April 14, known as “Sylvia Mendez Day.”

(21) (A) Every day appointed by the President or Governor for a public fast, thanksgiving, or holiday.

(B) Except for the Thursday in November appointed as Thanksgiving Day, this paragraph and paragraphs (3), (4), and (7) shall not apply to a city, county, or district district, unless made applicable by charter, or by ordinance or resolution of the governing body thereof.

(b) If this section is in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 3560) of Division 4 of Title 1, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that if those provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provisions shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act.