California moves to add Jewish ethnicity option on state demographic forms

California lawmakers have passed a bill that would require state agencies to add "Jewish" as an ethnicity or ancestry choice on demographic forms, allowing individuals to self-identify voluntarily. Supporters, including the CEO of Jewish California, argue that more accurate data will inform policies on unemployment, education and hate-crime monitoring for the Jewish community. Opponents warn of privacy risks, citing the Holocaust era when governments recorded Jewish identities, but the legislation bans agencies from releasing personal identifiers and cites existing privacy protections.

Some activists question both the trustworthiness of government data collection and the categorization of Jews as a single ethnic group, noting the diversity among Jews of color. The bill also permits respondents to indicate race in addition to ethnicity, similar to current Latino options, and includes a provision exempting agencies that might lose federal funding from making the change. The measure now awaits a final vote before reaching Governor Gavin Newsom's desk.