Eid days are state holidays now in the state of California

 California now officially recognizes Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as state holidays.

On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2017, the California Eid Holiday Act. Sponsored by CAIR-CA and authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney, the new law adds both Eids to California’s list of state holidays. Special thanks to Hala Hijazi and the Muslim Impact Council and Khydeeja Alam and the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs for their work to advance this important legislation.

For Muslim families who have long had to navigate school, work, exams, and other obligations around our two most important holidays, that recognition matters.

What the New Law Changes

By adding Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to California’s official holiday calendar, AB 2017 gives Muslim students, families, and employees something they did not have before: formal recognition in state law. That recognition gives public institutions a clearer basis to account for Eid in calendars, policies, and locally negotiated holiday schedules. Public K–12 schools and community colleges can now close for Eid through those local agreements.

For students whose schools remain open, an excused absence may still require following the school’s usual process. But the starting point has changed. Families are no longer asking schools to accommodate a holiday that is absent from California’s official calendar; they are requesting time to observe a holiday the state now formally recognizes.