Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed California’s second attempt at a transnational repression bill late Monday, according to a letter he sent to members of the state Senate.
The letter was shared with Fresnoland by Elisa Rivera, communications director for state Sen. Anna M. Caballero (D-Merced).
“While I appreciate the author’s intent to enhance the state’s ability to identify and respond to transnational repression, this issue is best addressed through administrative action in coordination with federal agencies,” Newsom wrote in the letter. “By codifying definitions related to this training, this bill would remove the state’s flexibility and ability to avoid future inconsistencies related to this work, especially since no unified federal definition exists.”
In his letter, Newsom noted that the California Office of Emergency Services has already created a training course to help law enforcement identify and respond to incidents of transnational repression.
He continues the letter by explaining that the “Transnational Repression Awareness class,” offered through Cal OES’s California Specialized Training Institute, was developed in collaboration with POST and federal partners to ensure consistency with national standards and provide local agencies with the tools needed to confront this threat.
According to the Cal OES website, the class is listed as “coming soon,” and will be a one-day course covering the definition and scope of transnational repression in the U.S., with a focus on California, along with the tactics used by major repressive nations, threat actors active in the state, and strategies for identifying and reporting on transnational repression to the proper authorities.
Fresnoland requested comment from Caballero and Fresno advocates late Monday.
In an email statement to Fresnoland on Tuesday morning, Puneet Kaur, senior manager of state policy at the Sikh Coalition, wrote that they’re “deeply disappointed in this veto.”
“For two years, we’ve worked tirelessly to advance a bill to create this training, so it was surprising to learn that CalOES allegedly planned to roll out a training on the very day the bill was vetoed,” Kaur said. “While a training is precisely the outcome we’ve been fighting for, transparency and collaboration from the Governor’s office would have strengthened this process and shown solidarity with our communities.”
She said the group plans to engage CalOES on the training but also criticized opponents for spreading misinformation while vilifying the Sikh community and the bill’s supporters despite receiving many of the amendments they sought.
Kaur said they remain proud of their Sangat community and the diverse coalition that stood alongside them, advocating with dignity and in the spirit of Chardi Kala.
“SB 509 was always about protecting Californians from foreign governments and their tactics—nothing more, nothing less,” Kaur said. “We will carry this fight forward for the safety and rights of all Californians, whether they are Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, or anything else—because our safety and prosperity are intertwined.”