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California State Capitol in Sacramento (Andre m \/ Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n
The New Year has brought with it dozens of new laws, some that won\u2019t change day-to-day life too much and some that likely will. Ranging from education to immigration, many of the laws are set to have a big impact on the state\u2019s Latino population.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Education<\/p>\n
The California State University (CSU) system will be required by a new law to establish a direct admissions process that involves notifying eligible high school seniors of their automatic admission to the 16 CSU campuses participating in the initiative. California community colleges will also be required to develop programs that facilitate a more seamless transition for community college students moving to a four-year university.<\/p>\n
Senate Bill 640, introduced by Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, builds on the existing direct admissions pilot program CSU launched in 2024 in partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Latino students are the CSU\u2019s largest ethnic group, making up nearly 49% of the 23-campus system\u2019s student population<\/a> as of fall 2024.<\/p>\n Students who meet the grade and coursework requirements for CSU admission will automatically receive a letter of acceptance from the CSU chancellor, without needing to apply to any of the participating campuses.<\/p>\n Due to enrollment capacities, San Jose State, San Diego State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Long Beach are the campuses not participating in the initiative.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe should make it as seamless for our students to go from 12th grade to the next stage of their education as it was for them to go sixth grade to seventh grade,\u201d Cabaldon said when the bill advanced to the Governor\u2019s desk in September. \u201cDirect admission removes the application hurdle that stops some students from going to college, and relieves the fear that they won\u2019t get in anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Health<\/p>\n Even tortillas will change in 2026 due to AB 1830, a bill introduced by Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula that now requires manufacturers to add folic acid to tortillas and masa products in the state. The reason? Folic acid is a vital vitamin that supports infant health, but data shows Latinas consume less of the vitamin during early pregnancy than women in other demographics, leading to consistently higher birth defects rates among babies born to Latinas.<\/p>\n Folic acid has been shown to reduce the risk of neural tube defects, like spina bifida and anencephaly, by up to 70%. The new law requires manufacturers to add 0.7 milligrams of folic acid to every pound of masa and reflect the change on the nutrition label.\u00a0<\/p>\n