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The California Legislature gets back to work today, starting a one-month sprint to adjournment on Aug. 31.
Lawmakers have a lot to finish up: More than 1,300 bills are still in play, though many will not reach Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. One high-profile measure is Assembly Bill 1825 , which would prohibit library review committees . As CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff explains, the bill would require California public libraries to detail their policies for choosing books, including a plan to allow residents to voice their objections, but libraries cannot ban material because it deals with race or sexuality.
The measure comes amid a culture war that includes parental rights groups who want to limit access to gender-identity content and other materials. They’re facing off against LGBTQ advocates who say it’s important to have library books about marginalized groups available to the public.