Agadir – California has officially recognized Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as state holidays after Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation adding the two Islamic celebrations to the state’s holiday list.
Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2017, authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney, on September 27, according to the California governor’s office. The legislation adds the two Eid holidays to California law and establishes provisions allowing schools, community colleges, and employees to observe them.
The law recognizes Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, which falls during the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah and coincides with the annual Hajj season.
Under the legislation, California state employees can use existing personal holiday credits or leave to observe Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, subject to applicable workplace rules and collective bargaining agreements.
The law also allows public schools and community colleges to close for the two holidays through locally negotiated agreements. This means the legislation does not require every school or educational institution in California to close on Eid.
The legislation also places the two Islamic holidays on California’s general list of state holidays while excluding them from the state’s judicial holidays. Courts therefore are not required to close because of the new designation.
AB 2017 was co-sponsored by the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, and the Muslim Impact Council.
CAIR-CA welcomed Newsom’s signing of the legislation, saying it would address challenges faced by Muslim students and employees who observe the holidays.
“For far too long, Muslim students and employees in California have had to make the difficult choice between participating in observances essential to their faith or falling behind on their academic or professional obligations,” CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush said in a statement.
The organization said California has more than one million Muslim residents and described the legislation as a measure to reduce barriers to observing Eid.
California joins Washington state, which recognized Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as state holidays in 2025.
