SACRAMENTO, Calif., -- A leading California education and public agency law firm today issued a statement confirming that AB 1266 did not go into effect on January 1. Some proponents of the "co-ed bathroom law" have put forth the idea that the law became effective at the first of the year, despite a referendum effort designed to put the measure on the November ballot.
Fresno based Lozano Smith, LP, notes that AB 1266 was signed by Governor Brown last year but "a referendum challenge was mounted to prevent AB 1266 from becoming law, and the referendum effort has caused the effective date to be put on hold."
Backers of the referendum to overturn the new law believe that some individuals are trying to get local policies in place before the referendum process is concluded and might try to retain those policies even after the law is struck down.
"Districts throughout the State are acting as if the co-ed bathroom law is in effect," said Gina Gleason, proponent of the referendum. "While some individuals just don't understand the referendum process, others are ignoring the referendum to advance their agenda."
Karen England, a spokesperson for Privacy For All Students, says her organization is calling on school officials to respect the law and the peoples' right to challenge laws with a referendum. "Now they have been told definitively that the co-ed bathroom law has not taken effect. It will be interesting to see what these districts do. Will they side with a vocal minority threatening the privacy and safety of our children, or will they follow the law?"
Backers of the referendum presented nearly 620,000 signatures to elections officials in November. While the Secretary of State is still reviewing these signatures, the law was suspended upon presentation of those signatures.
For more information about the referendum to overturn California's co-ed bathroom law, visit the PFAS web page at privacyforallstudents.com.
