Leaders representing Santa Clarita are reacting after Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that prevents school staff from notifying parents if students identify as a different gender or sexual orientation.

Assembly Bill 1955 (AB 1955) was signed into law by Newsom on Monday, sparking reaction from state leaders and local candidates, and even prompting a well-known business to make plans to depart the state.

The bill would prohibit educational institutes from enforcing any rule or policy “that would require an employee or contractor to disclose any information related to a pupil’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to any other person without the pupil’s consent unless otherwise required by law, as provided.” 

The bill would also prohibit retaliatory action on the part of employees or employers, or otherwise “taking adverse action against an employee on the basis that the employee supported a pupil in the exercise of specified rights, work activities, or providing certain instruction, as provided.”

On Wednesday Senator Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, shared his concerns following Newsom’s decision to sign the bill into law. 

 “I believe parents should guide their children, not the state. Progressive policymakers believe they know better than parents,” Wilk said “While normal people think AB 1955 is a massive overreach, I believe it’s just the beginning of government efforts to replace the traditional family.”

While these topics are two separate issues, Wilk has been a supporter of transparency between schools and parents regarding what is taught in the classroom, especially pertaining to sexual education materials.

Former Republican Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares, who is running to be elected to fill Wilk’s seat due to him terming out, feels this decision to put up barriers between students and parents is not a good idea.

“Barriers between schools, kids, and parents are a bad idea. They create opportunities for mistreatment and abuse while keeping parents in the dark and even forcing schools to lie to parents,” Valladares said. “This is not the California we want or the environment our children deserve. We need to protect our kids, support them, and foster open and transparent partnerships between parents, children, and schools. AB 1955 does the opposite.”

Patrick Gipson, a Republican who is running to fill current Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo’s seat, feels this move by Newsom and the democratic supermajority is a “direct slap in the face” to all parents here in California.

“What happened to building back better? Did that not include parents? It’s deceitful, it’s manipulative, and it promotes lying,” Gipson said. “The times we live in is not the 1950’s. I believe we can all play a vital role in our children’s future and that starts with knowledge and trust. Newsom can lie to us all he wants, however at the end of the day all we have is our family to fall back on.”

 Shortly after Newsom signed AB 1955 into law, Gipson said in a statement to his supporters that he felt this new law would have negative repercussions. 

 “As a parent, I’m upset. As a victim of childhood sexual abuse, I am deeply saddened and concerned about potential abuse, exploitation, and medical mistreatment that can stem from this law,” Gipson said. “We need to foster MORE communication between parents, schools, teachers, and children — NOT put up huge barriers. We can protect the rights of parents and the health of children while also supporting those kids dealing with these significant questions. My extremist opponent, Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, VOTED to require school districts to proactively lie and conceal this information.”

Billionaire Elon Musk announced that the decision to sign AB 1955 into law led him to move the headquarters of aerospace company SpaceX out of the state. 

“This is the final straw. Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas,” Musk said in a post on X, formally known as Twitter.

 Ed. Note: KHTS reached out to Assemblywoman Schiavo’s office for comment; however, she did not respond by the time this article was published.

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