Gov. on Sept. 29, 2026 signed Assembly Bill 2374 to create a pathway for California higher education institutions to become designated Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander‑serving institutions, the governor’s office said.
The bill is authored by Assemblymember (D‑Alhambra) and was a priority of the California Asian American & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus; "AB 2374 marks a historic step forward in recognizing and supporting AANHPI students across California," Fong said in the release.
AB 2374 establishes a framework for campuses seeking the designation to develop a strategic plan focused on student success, the release said; that plan must address improving retention and graduation rates and providing academic and basic‑needs support.
The release gave enrollment figures to show scale: of about 2.2 million students enrolled in California community colleges in 2024‑25, 248,686 identified as Asian and 7,979 identified as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; the CSU enrolled 471,451 students in 2025, 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.
The governor’s office presented the bill as part of a larger higher education agenda that includes multi‑year compacts with UC and CSU, expanded access such as up to two years of tuition‑free community college for eligible students, and efforts to increase graduation and transfer rates, the release said.
The release also noted California’s role in the development of Asian American studies, saying the term “Asian American” was coined in 1968 and that San Francisco State University started the first Asian American Studies program in 1969.
State
Gavin Newsom
Governor · Democrat
Named 2 times in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
State
Mike Fong
State Assembly Member · Democrat
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
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