BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 123
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 123 (Bonta)
As Amended May 24, 2013
Majority vote
EDUCATION 6-0 APPROPRIATIONS 13-0
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|Ayes:|Buchanan, Campos, Chávez, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra, |
| |Nazarian, Weber, Williams | |Bradford, |
| | | |Ian Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Eggman, Gomez, Hall, |
| | | |Ammiano, Linder, Pan, |
| | | |Quirk, Weber |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to ensure
that the state curriculum and framework on César Chávez and the
history of the farm labor movement in the United States (U.S.),
and the state criteria for selecting textbooks, include
information on the role of immigrants, including Filipino
Americans, in that movement. Specifies that the bill shall not
be implemented unless funds are appropriated by the Legislature
in the annual Budget Act or another statute for this purpose.
Makes findings and declarations regarding the composition of
Filipino Americans in California and the United States and the
important role Filipino Americans played in the formation and
work of the farmworker labor movement.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, one-time General Fund administrative cost pressure,
likely between $125,000 and$150,000, to the California
Department of Education (CDE), to update the state's model
curriculum. This bill is not operative unless an appropriation
is provided for this purpose.
COMMENTS : Current law specifies courses of study for pupils in
grades 1-12, and also requires instruction on various specific
topics. Within the social sciences, there are various specific
requirements, including instruction on the early history of
California and a study of the role and contributions of both men
and women and various minority groups to the economic,
political, and social development of California and the U.S.,
with particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups
AB 123
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in contemporary society. Existing law also authorizes or
encourages specific subject content, including instruction on
the role and contributions of Filipino Americans in World War
II, the "Secret War" in Laos and the role of southeast Asians in
the Vietnam War, and the Bracero program.
Existing law requires the SBE to ensure that the state
curriculum and framework include instruction on César Chávez and
the history of the farm labor movement in the U.S. This
requirement has been incorporated into the fourth grade
framework on the California economy. Specifically, the
framework prescribes instruction on César Chávez and his impact
on labor conditions in the agricultural industry.
This bill incorporates the role that immigrants, including
Filipino Americans, played in that movement. The author states,
"The farm labor movement is a rich part of the history of
California and the United States. However, the history of the
contributions of the Filipino American community to the success
of this movement is largely unknown. Filipino American leaders,
including Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz, Pete Velasco and
Dolores Huerta, helped create the Agricultural Workers
Organization Committee (AWOC), a union of Filipino farm workers
that fought for fair wages and rights of all farm workers. The
AWOC was responsible for initiating the famous Delano Grape
Strike of 1965-70, a landmark event during the farm labor
movement. The strike led to the formation of the United Farm
Workers, which merged the AWOC and the National Farm Workers
Association, led by César Chávez."
The author further argues that Filipino Americans represent the
largest Asian American population in California and the third
largest in the U.S. It is important for Filipino Americans to
know about the history of their predecessors and recognize their
contributions to California history.
California curriculum is based on content standards. The
curriculum frameworks are guidelines for implementing the
standards that are developed by the Instructional Quality
Commission (IQC) and approved by the SBE. The IQC is an
18-member commission consisting of one member of the Assembly,
one member of the Senate, and 16 public members. At least seven
of the public members must have taught, written, or lectured on
the subject areas required for graduation. The history-social
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science (H/SS) standards were developed in 1998 and the H/SS
framework was last revised in 2005. A review and update of this
framework was underway and nearly complete when the state
suspended the process on July 28, 2009, due to fiscal
constraints. The SBE is specifically prohibited from reviewing
frameworks and adopting instructional materials until the
2015-16 school year. SB 1540 (Hancock), Chapter 288, Statutes
of 2012, authorizes the SBE to consider the adoption of a
revised curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for
instructional materials in H/SS, but prohibits the CDE from
conducting any work until after CDE has completed work related
to the development of curriculum frameworks for the common core
content standards.
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0000815