AB1578 - State agency officials: training on responding to hate: local agency officials: anti-hate speech training.

Amended IN Senate August 26, 2026 Amended IN Senate August 21, 2026 Amended IN Assembly May 22, 2026 Amended IN Assembly April 06, 2026 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 1578 Introduced by Assembly Member Jackson (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Lowenthal) January 12, 2026 An act to amend Section 53237.1 of, and to add Section 12950.4 to, the Government Code, relating to public officials. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1578, as amended, Jackson. State agency officials: training on responding to hate: local agency officials: anti-hate speech training. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act makes specified employment practices unlawful, including the harassment of an employee directly by the employer or indirectly by agents of the employer with the employer’s knowledge. Under existing law, the Civil Rights Department administers these provisions. Existing law requires a specified employer with 5 or more employees to, by January 1, 2021, provide at least 2 hours of classroom or other effective interactive training and education regarding sexual harassment to all supervisory employees and at least one hour of classroom or other effective interactive training and education regarding sexual harassment to all nonsupervisory employees in California and, after that date, once every 2 years. Existing law requires an employer to include prevention of abusive conduct as a component of that training and education. This bill would require, beginning on January 1, 2028, if a state agency provides any type of compensation, salary, or stipend to a state agency official of that agency, that all state agency officials of that agency receive training on responding to hate, as prescribed. The bill would specify that state agency officials include elected officials define “state agency official” to mean a state elected official for that purpose. The bill would require at least one hour of training and education for a state agency official within the first 6 months of taking office or commencing employment, and every 2 years thereafter. The bill would authorize a state agency or an association of state agencies to offer one or more training courses, or sets of self-study materials with tests, to meet these requirements. The bill would authorize a state agency to develop its own training that meets the requirements or direct elected officials to complete a training developed by the department. The bill would require the department to develop or obtain an online training course on responding to hate and make the course available on its internet website. Existing law requires local agency officials, as defined, to receive sexual harassment prevention training and education if the local agency provides any type of compensation, salary, or stipend to those officials. Existing law requires the training and education to include practical examples aimed at instructing the local agency official in the prevention of sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. This bill would additionally require, beginning on January 1, 2028, the above-described training and education to include for any elected local agency official, as a component of the training and education, anti-hate speech training, as described. The bill would authorize an elected local agency official to take a training developed for state agency officials pursuant to the bill to satisfy the anti-hate speech training requirement. By imposing new requirements on local agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 12950.4 is added to the Government Code, to read: 12950.4. (a) If Beginning on January 1, 2028, if a state agency provides any type of compensation, salary, or stipend to a state agency official of that agency, then all state agency officials of that agency shall receive training on responding to hate pursuant to this section. For the purpose of this section, “state agency official” includes an means a state elected official. (b) Each state agency official shall receive at least one hour of training and education within the first six months of taking office or commencing employment, and every two years thereafter. (c) The training and education required by this section shall include information and practical guidance about how to respond to threats and harassment both during and outside of public meetings, de-escalation training, information about the prevalence of hate incidents, and resources available for victims of hate. (d) A state agency or an association of state agencies may offer one or more training courses, or sets of self-study materials with tests, to meet the requirements of this section. These courses may be taken at home, in person, or online. (e) All providers of training courses shall provide participants with proof of participation. Proof of participation may include an electronic certificate received upon completion of an online training course. (f) A state agency may develop its own training that meets the requirements of this section or direct elected officials to complete the training developed by the department pursuant to subdivision (h). (g) A state agency official who serves more than one state agency shall satisfy the requirements of this section once every two years without regard to the number of state agencies the official serves. (h) The department shall develop or obtain an online training course on responding to hate in accordance with this section. The department shall make the online training course available on its internet website. SEC. 2. Section 53237.1 of the Government Code is amended to read: 53237.1. (a) If a local agency provides any type of compensation, salary, or stipend to a local agency official of that agency, then all local agency officials of that agency shall receive sexual harassment prevention training and education pursuant to this article. A local agency may also require any of its employees to receive sexual harassment prevention training and education pursuant to this article. (b) Each local agency official, or employee who is so required, shall receive at least two hours of sexual harassment prevention training and education within the first six months of taking office or commencing employment, and every two years thereafter. (c) An entity that develops curricula to satisfy the requirements of this section shall consult with legal counsel for the entity regarding the sufficiency and accuracy of that proposed content. An entity is permitted to include local sexual harassment prevention training and education policies in the curricula. (d) (1) The training and education required by this section shall include information and practical guidance regarding the federal and state statutory provisions concerning the prohibition against, and the prevention and correction of, sexual harassment and the remedies available to victims of sexual harassment in employment. The training and education shall also include practical examples aimed at instructing the local agency official in the prevention of sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, and shall be presented by trainers or educators with knowledge and expertise in the prevention of sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. (2) Beginning on January 1, 2028, the training and education required by this section for any elected local agency official shall also include anti-hate speech training as a component of the training and education. Anti-hate speech training shall provide practical guidance on recognizing, reporting, engaging or participating in, and confronting speech that vilifies, humiliates, or incites hatred against people based on the protected characteristics listed in subdivision (a) of Section 12940. An elected local agency official may take a training developed pursuant to Section 12950.4 to satisfy the training requirement of this paragraph. (e) A local agency or an association of local agencies may offer one or more training courses, or sets of self-study materials with tests, to meet the requirements of this section. These courses may be taken at home, in person, or online. (f) All providers of training courses shall provide participants with proof of participation to meet the requirements of this article. (g) A local agency shall provide a recommendation on training available to meet the requirements of this article to its local agency officials and its employees at least once in written form before assuming a new position and every two years thereafter. (h) A local agency official who serves more than one local agency shall satisfy the requirements of this article once every two years without regard to the number of local agencies the official serves. SEC. 3. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.