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Community leader urges Newsom to veto SB 509, warns of redundancy and rift
SB 509 requires law enforcement training to address transnational repression, targeting foreign intimidation of diaspora communities.
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Pranavi Sharma - Wed, 24, Sep 2025
- 02:51 EDT
- 13
Community leader Ajay Bhutoria and Governor Gavin Newsom. / X
Indian-American leader Ajay Bhutoria has asked California Governor Gavin Newsom to veto Senate Bill 509, arguing the measure is unnecessary, costly, and risks dividing diaspora communities.
In a letter dated Sept. 19, Bhutoria, a former advisor to President Biden, said the bill duplicates federal programs and could unfairly profile Indian Americans, particularly Hindus. “This is a costly solution in search of a problem,” he wrote, pointing out that the FBI has not documented California-specific cases of transnational repression requiring state intervention.
SB 509, authored by Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Merced), mandates law enforcement training to identify and respond to transnational repression by Jan. 1, 2027. It passed the Senate in June and the Assembly earlier this month with broad support. The bill defines transnational repression as intimidation or harm directed by foreign governments against diaspora communities, including threats carried out digitally or physically.
Supporters such as the Sikh Coalition and Immigrant Defense Advocates say the bill provides critical protections, citing the 2023 killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada as evidence of rising threats. The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) also called the Assembly’s passage a civil rights milestone. “The passage of SB 509 is more than a legislative milestone; it marks a strategic inflection point for equity and justice,” said SALDEF executive director Kiran Kaur Gill.
Caballero has defended the measure as necessary to uphold freedom and safety for all diaspora communities. “This measure strengthens our commitment to protecting vulnerable individuals and their families,” she said.
Bhutoria argued that SB 509 would impose new costs amid California’s $12 billion budget deficit while diverting resources from urgent issues such as hate crimes. He cited recent vandalism incidents at Hindu temples in the Bay Area as evidence of other pressing needs.
ALSO READ: Fourth Hindu temple vandalized in US in less than a year
He also warned the bill’s broad language could “fracture our diaspora” by heightening tensions between Sikh and Hindu communities.
Newsom faces an Oct. 13 deadline to decide on the bill, one of more than 800 awaiting his action. The governor has previously vetoed legislation he considered redundant or divisive, including SB 403 in 2023.
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