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Governor Newsom signs historic legislation designating California Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander-serving institutions

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Sep 29, 2026

Governor Newsom signs historic legislation designating California Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander-serving institutions

What you need to know: Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2374 to create a pathway for Californian higher education institutions to be designated as California Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander-serving institutions. The legislation builds on the Governor's broader higher education agenda focused on expanding access, improving student outcomes, making college more affordable, and ensuring California's world-class public institutions serve all.

SACRAMENTO – Building on the state's efforts to expand opportunity and strengthen California's higher education system, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed priority legislation of the California Asian American & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, Assembly Bill 2374 by Assemblymember Mike Fong (D-Alhambra), to create a pathway for California higher education institutions to become designated Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander-serving institutions.

California's higher education system is one of our greatest engines of opportunity – and that opportunity must reach every community. AB 2374 builds on our work to ensure Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander students have the support, resources and opportunities they need to succeed. We continue to strengthen our colleges and universities to ensure they reflect and serve the extraordinary diversity of California.

Governor Gavin Newsom

AB 2374 recognizes institutions that are taking concrete steps to support Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) students and establishes a framework for campuses seeking the designation to develop a strategic plan focused on student success, including improving retention and graduation rates and providing academic and basic-needs.

"AB 2374 marks a historic step forward in recognizing and supporting AANHPI students across California," said Assemblymember Mike Fong, Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee and Chair of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. "At a time when Minority-Serving Institutions face growing uncertainty on the federal level, California is reaffirming our commitment to ensuring AANHPI students and the institutions that serve them have the recognition, resources, and support they need to succeed. I thank Governor Newsom for signing this important legislation and helping California continue to lead in supporting our diverse student communities."

Advancing opportunity for students

California's public colleges and universities serve hundreds of thousands of AANHPI students from communities with diverse histories, cultures, languages and educational experiences.

Of the approximately 2.2 million students enrolled in California community colleges in the 2024-25 academic year, 248,686 identified as Asian and 7,979 identified as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. In 2025, the CSU enrolled 471,451 students, including 71,413 Asian students and 1,333 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. The UC enrolled 237,616 students in fall 2025, including 131,933 Asian students and 2,454 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students.

AB 2374 provides a statewide framework for institutions to demonstrate how they are supporting these students and encourages campuses to build on programs already showing results.

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Building on Governor Newsom's higher education agenda

This is the latest action in Governor Newsom's broader effort to strengthen California's higher education system — from expanding access and affordability to improving completion and transfer rates and better connecting education to careers. Under Governor Newsom, California has:

✅ Established multi-year compacts with the University of California and California State University, along with a roadmap with the California Community Colleges, to improve student outcomes, increase affordability, strengthen workforce alignment and advance California's postsecondary attainment goals.

✅ Expanded access to affordable higher education, including providing up to two years of community college tuition-free for eligible students.

✅ Strengthened graduation and transfer efforts, expanding Associate Degree for Transfer opportunities and supporting initiatives at CSU and UC that resulted in higher graduation rates.

✅ Increased college affordability, so that two-thirds of undergraduates at CSU and UC are graduating with zero educational loan debt and made investments in affordable student housing at UC, CSU and the community colleges, Open Educational Resources, the Middle Class Scholarship and zero-cost textbook efforts.

✅ Created the College Corps, providing thousands of college students with opportunities to serve their communities while earning up to $10,000 toward their education.

✅ Provided more opportunities for students with foster-care experience through the Fostering Futures program and the Middle Class Scholarship, helping cover tuition, fees and other educational expenses at UC and CSU. Alongside Cal Kids which provides additional funds for foster youth to support their education and the California HOPE trust accounts to help build financial stability.

✅ Increased financial aid access, including requiring high schools to certify completion of the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application so students do not leave federal or state financial aid on the table.

✅ Expanded pathways from education to careers, including investments in earn-and-learn programs and apprenticeships. More than 200,000 registered apprenticeships were added between 2019 and 2024.

✅ Launched California's first Master Plan for Career Education, bringing together education, workforce and industry partners around skills-based pathways and career opportunities beyond the traditional four-year college model. In remarks on the plan, Governor Newsom emphasized the importance of both academic and skills-based pathways and the role of community colleges in connecting Californians to opportunity.

✅ Strengthened California's research and innovation ecosystem, including partnerships connecting UC research with industry and efforts to translate research and development into benefits for Californians.

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California's history teaching Asian American history

California has long been at the forefront of Asian American studies and AANHPI educational leadership.

In 1968, the term "Asian American," was coined by UC Berkeley graduate students Yuji Ichioka and Emma Gee, later they both became professors and taught the first Asian American Studies course at UCLA. In 1969, San Francisco State University spearheaded the first Asian American Studies program in the country.

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