Newsom vetoes 'foreign proxy' bill: CoHNA hails decision; calls it a win for immigrant communities

The Coalition of Hindus of North America ( CoHNA ) welcomed California Governor Gavin Newsom ’s decision to veto SB509, a bill purportedly aimed at tackling “Transnational Repression” but which, according to the group, risked unfairly targeting immigrant-heavy communities.

Governor Newsom, in his veto message, said California must remain flexible and aligned with federal directives -- a stance CoHNA said it “fully agrees” with. The group argued that despite months of engagement with the bill’s author, SB509 remained “divisive, duplicative, and expensive,” and warned that its vague definitions could be weaponised against vulnerable diaspora communities.

Under the bill, California’s Office of Emergency Services would have been empowered to train local law enforcement to identify “foreign proxies,” without clearly defining who those proxies were. CoHNA claimed that such language could have endangered individuals advocating for their ethnic or religious communities.

This reaction from SB 509 bill sponsor Bains is so interesting and revealing in her equating the SB 509 and caste bill SB 403 veto.

It makes sense because the 509 attempt was structured to appeal to and harness the exact same core base angered by the 403 fail. For two… pic.twitter.com/ValzpOh8vr

— Suhag A. Shukla (@SuhagAShukla) October 14, 2025

“For instance, California Hindus opposing the vandalisation of their neighbourhood mandir could be labelled as proxies of the Indian government ,” the organisation said.

Twenty-one Assembly Members had abstained from voting on the measure, while dozens of civic groups and elected leaders signed a coalition letter urging the governor to reject it. CoHNA thanked community leaders, including Ajay Jain Bhutoria , and interfaith allies for voicing concerns despite facing backlash.

“For the past two years we have watched in horror as California lawmakers have ignored the real and rising anti-Hindu hate in the state,” said CoHNA board member Pushpita Prasad. “We thank Governor Newsom for staying true to his promise of ‘California For All’.”

CoHNA said SB509, a reintroduction of the failed AB3027, would have deepened divisions and diverted resources from urgent state issues. Citing a rise in anti-Hindu hate crimes and repeated temple vandalism between 2023 and 2025, the organisation urged lawmakers to focus on “equality, justice, and real issues facing Californians.”