Newsom Makes 2 Muslim Holidays OFFICIAL

A bill putting two of Islam’s holiest days on California’s official calendar now sits one signature away from becoming law.

Story Snapshot

Assembly Bill 2017 would add Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to California’s list of state holidays.
The bill passed the Assembly 64-1 and cleared the Senate before heading to Governor Gavin Newsom.
Public schools and community colleges could close on the holidays, and students would get excused absences.
A conservative family group and a California rabbi call the bill unequal treatment that may be unconstitutional.

What AB 2017 Would Actually Change

Written by Assemblyman Matt Haney, a Democrat from San Francisco, AB 2017 adds Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to California’s official state holiday list. The bill keeps both days off the judicial holiday calendar but lets K-12 public schools and community colleges close on either date. Any student who takes the day off to observe the holidays would automatically get an excused absence under the bill’s language.

The bill cleared the Assembly by a lopsided 64-1 vote before the Senate Education Committee advanced it toward a full floor vote. State workers who observe the holidays could tap existing holiday credits to take paid time off. Newsom has not said publicly whether he plans to sign it, though California’s Democratic supermajority made the bill’s path through the Legislature nearly frictionless.

California schools could soon close for two Islamic holidays under a bill moving closer to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.

The legislation formally recognizes Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, allows public schools and community colleges to close for both holidays and lets state employees… pic.twitter.com/cNS41mrFex

— Daniela Collins (@romans11732) August 31, 2026

Supporters Call It Overdue Recognition, Not Preference

The Council on American-Islamic Relations California chapter, which co-sponsored the bill, argues it simply gives Muslim families the same certainty Christian and Jewish families already have around their holidays. Backers point out that many California school districts already grant informal accommodations for Muslim students during Ramadan and Eid, so formal recognition mostly standardizes practices that exist unevenly across the state.