Bay Area lawmaker proposes Lunar New Year holiday for community colleges
OAKLAND – A state assemblyman from San Francisco has introduced a new bill that would give California community colleges the option to observe Lunar New Year as a state holiday.
Assembly Bill 264 from Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, allows for flexibility to observe Lunar New Year without increasing the amount of days schools would be closed.
For example, Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays could be combined into one holiday and Lunar New Year could be another.
The bill comes after City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees president Alan Wong passed a resolution encouraging the state Legislature to change the California Community Colleges Education Code to allow for the holiday's observance.
"Lunar New Year is the most widely observed holiday for families in California's Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, but our Asian and immigrant community college students have had to decide between going to class or celebrating with their parents and grandparents," Wong said. "At a time when the Asian community is still reeling from hate-motivated incidents, this is our opportunity to promote cultural understanding and support the Asian community."
Hearings for the bill will begin in the spring.
