Signing Assembly Bill 268 into law Tuesday (US time), California Governor Gavin Newsom declared the Hindu ‘Festival of Lights’ Diwali an official statewide holiday. Following in suit after Pennsylvania (2024) and Connecticut (2025), California is now the third state in the US to do so.

Indian-origin and Hindu communities have since flooded social media with thankful messages, directing their gratitude towards the California governor. The new law goes into effect on January 1, 2026, and it would allow public schools and community colleges to close on the day of the festival.

Indian-American community applauds California Gov Gavin Newsom

With Diwali added to the list of state holidays, the Coalition of Hindus of North America CoHNA wrote, “We thank @CAgovernor for recognizing this important festival and ushering in a new era of inclusion for Hindus in California. Huge shout out to Assembly Members Darshana Patel and @Ash_Kalra for sponsoring the bill.”

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Similarly, Ajay Bhutoria, former advisor to President Biden for AANHPI Commission, said in a post on X, “Thank you @GavinNewsom Governor newsom for Making Diwali a California State Holiday by signing AB 268. Huge thanks to Assembly member @Ash_Kalra & @DrDarshanaPatel for championing this bill and taking to finish line , celebrating light, unity & our diverse communities.”

Meanwhile, the Indian American Advocacy Council hailed the declaration of Diwali as a statewide holiday as a “proud moment for the Indian American community!” Additionally, the Hindu American Foundation thanked Ash Kalra and Dr Darshana Patel, the two California assemblymembers of Indian descent who co-authored the bill.

On the same page of the conversation, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) applauded the decision, calling it a “proud and historic milestone for Hindu Americans.” The group went on to thank Governor Gavin Newsom and the California State Assembly, adding the state’s decision to go through with this bill “shows that when cultural awareness meets civic engagement, it enriches everyone.” It also encouraged other states to follow the “thoughtful example.”

Who are the Indian-origin assemblymembers behind the California Diwali bill

San Jose’s Democrat assemblymember Ash Kalra joined forces with San Diego’s Darshana Patel to push for the bill forward, considering 960,000 out of America’s Indian population (4.9 million) live in California, as per a 2025 Pew survey.

1. Ash Kalra: He is the first Indian-American (and the first Hindu) in the history of the California legislature, and is currently also the only Canadian born, according to his LinkedIn profile. Having grown up in Silicon Valley’s San Jose, he was elected to represent Assembly District 25 in the California State Assembly in the November 2016 election. Kalra was ultimately re-elected in November 2022 for his fourth term.

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Currently also serving as the Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, he is even dedicated to the Committees: Housing, Local Government and Natural Resources. The Democratic Party member was born in Toronto to parents from India. The Canadian-American politician’s family moved to San Jose when he was 6 years old, according to KQED.

Having pursued a Law Degree at Georgetown University and completed his Bachelor’s in Communication at UC Santa Barbara, Ash previously found his calling as a law professor at Lincoln Law School of San Jose. He also taught at San Jose State University and at inner city Washington, DC high schools, as per his official assembly website.

2. Darshana Patel: She is a research scientist, school board president and the daughter of Indian immigrants who moved to California when she was a teen, according to a her State Assembly profile. At 14, she lost her mother, prompting an interest in medical and health research. As a result, she went on to earn her Biochemistry at Occidental College and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of California, Irvine. Dr Patel was ultimately elected in November 2024 to represent the 76th Assembly District in northern San Diego County.

Her California State Assembly profile states Patel is a “tireless advocate for educational equity and community engagement,” and “serves as President of the San Diego County School Boards Association and on the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs.” According to a shout-out by CalMatter last year, she is the first Hindu woman to serve in the California State Legislature.

As the first two Hindu Americans in the state legislature, Kalra and Patel’s Assembly Bill 268, aimed at celebrating Diwali, secured unanimous bipartisan passage in June.