Newsom pushes California universities to boost campus safety as protests rage over Mideast war

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom waded into the bitter disputes between student groups over the Israel-Hamas war that have roiled college campuses in California, insisting that education leaders take more decisive action to quell related acts of hate.

The governor in a letter Monday pressed California university system heads to enforce campus safety policies and “cultivate spaces for affinity and dialogue” amid rising antisemitism and Islamophobia. He noted that “students have been physically assaulted for voicing support for Israel and targeted because of a Jewish, Arab, or Muslim identity.”

“This is unacceptable and demands action,” Newsom wrote in the letter, first reported here. He issued the call to the leaders of the University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges but did not prescribe what exactly their responses should entail.

The letter marks the Democratic governor’s most significant foray into mitigating harassment and threats of violence on college campuses since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, beginning the latest war between the parties. It also provides political cover for the universities to take more concrete disciplinary action against students and professors accused of making backers of Israelis and Palestinians feel unsafe.

Newsom’s urging stemmed from meetings over the past few weeks with UC President Michael V. Drake, CSU Chancellor Mildred García, CCC Chancellor Sonya Christian and Jewish groups. And it comes as Drake prepares to announce a series of initiatives geared at quelling violence and increasing support for students affected by the conflict.

“Student organizations, including Hillels and student groups in support of Palestinians, are fearful of becoming targets of hate and violence — affinity spaces should be connected to campus safety and mental health resources,” Newsom wrote. “Furthermore, campuses are rightly places for critical analysis and open discourse — every opportunity to model productive dialogue and common understanding should be taken.”

Newsom's comments did not surprise campus leaders, who were told in advance that the letter was coming. Those officials have also been in contact with the administration since the war began, including at a Nov. 1 meeting mentioned in the letter.

"During these discussions, President Drake has emphasized that the safety of our campuses is of paramount concern and that we are doing all we can to ensure that our community is safe and welcoming for all," UC spokesperson Ryan King said in a statement.

The war has reactivated a simmering debate over Israel at California colleges — particularly at the 10-campus UC — where student activists over the past few years have called for the university to divest from Israeli companies and boycott the country’s academic institutions.

Several UC and CSU chapters of the Students for Justice in Palestine celebrated Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks that killed around 1,400 people, including civilians, as a protest of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories. More than 300 UC Ethnic Studies professors in a statement criticized university communications for distorting “the unfolding genocide” of Palestinians in Gaza.

Jewish organizations and the California Legislative Jewish Caucus have responded by condemning the Ethnic Studies Faculty Council’s comments and detailing at length the threats being leveled at Jewish students, particularly those who’ve shown support for Israel. And UC Regent Jay Sures earlier this month told the Ethnic Studies Faculty in a letter that their “appalling” comments served to legitimize Hamas’ attacks, extending the volleys of criticisms between quarreling parties.

The UC Regents are scheduled to meet in Los Angeles Wednesday and Thursday, where Drake will share more details about the system's plans for addressing hate on campuses, according to King. They'll focus on "supporting impacted students and providing our campuses with additional resources to safely facilitate peaceful protest and respectful dialogue."

Raucous student protests, which Regents meetings frequently attract, are expected.