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🇮🇱 Israel /Elections & Politics

California Legislature Approves Safe Worship Zone Act, Sending It to Newsom

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Approved/passed
  • California lawmakers gave final approval to the Safe Worship Zone Act, which would establish a 100-foot buffer around entrances to houses of worship.
  • The Senate passed the bill 34-0, with six abstentions, and the Assembly approved it 49-2, with 28 abstentions.
  • Governor Gavin Newsom must sign or veto the legislation by September 30, while CAIR California opposes it on First Amendment grounds.

California lawmakers have approved a measure intended to ensure that worshippers can enter and leave religious institutions without being surrounded or confronted. The Safe Worship Zone Act now awaits Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature or veto.

The bill creates a 100-foot zone around entrances to houses of worship. Within that area, people could not approach congregants to within eight feet without their consent. The legislation passed the Senate floor 34-0, with six abstentions, and the Assembly floor 49-2, with 28 abstentions.

Every Californian, no matter their faith, should be able to walk to their place of worship without fear of being surrounded or intimidated.

— David BocarslyThe CEO of Jewish California supported the bill’s protections for people entering and leaving houses of worship.

Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan authored the act. Jewish California, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Bay Area and Jewish Federation Los Angeles sponsored it. The measure draws on Colorado’s bubble-zone law around reproductive health clinics, which the US Supreme Court has upheld.

This bill faced sustained, organized opposition, and it passed because lawmakers listened to people of every faith who said the same thing: let us pray in peace.

— David BocarslyBocarsly described the political support behind the legislation.

Supporters say the act protects access to worship without restricting constitutional rights to protest or assemble. “Every Californian, no matter their faith, should be able to walk to their place of worship without fear of being surrounded or intimidated,” said David Bocarsly, CEO of Jewish California. Bauer-Kahan said the legislation would give communities a tool to respond to harassment and intimidation, citing what she called the undeniable rise of antisemitism.

The California branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations opposes the bill. It says the measure could put peaceful protesters and community advocates at risk while they engage in lawful First Amendment activity near religious institutions. CAIR California also argued that houses of worship host political and advocacy events, among other gatherings. Newsom has until September 30 to decide the bill’s fate.

California is sending a clear message: everyone has the right to practice their faith safely and freely.

— Rebecca Bauer-KahanThe bill’s author explained its intended principle.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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