Overview

• The measure takes effect on January 1, 2026.
• Public schools and community colleges are authorized to close for the festival, with decisions left to local districts and colleges.
• State employees may elect a paid day off, certain education employees are eligible for paid leave, and public school students receive excused absences.
• The statute acknowledges observance across Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist communities.
• California becomes the third state after Pennsylvania and Connecticut, with the bill authored by Ash Kalra and Darshana Patel and welcomed by groups including HAF, CoHNA, Indiaspora and the Sikh Coalition; the state is home to about 960,000 Indian-origin residents.