A Westminster park bears the name of Sylvia Mendez, whose family was behind a landmark civil rights court case after she and her brothers were denied entry to a school in 1943. Might a California state holiday also honor that fight for equality?
That’s the goal behind a new bill from Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster, to designate April 14 as “Sylvia Mendez Day.”
After their children were denied admittance into the Seventeenth Street School in Westminster, the Mendez parents, along with four other families, filed a class-action lawsuit against four Orange County school districts in 1945. Instead of accepting the students, district officials had told the Mexican-American children to attend a “Mexican school.”
The families were successful, and the decision led to the repeal of segregation laws in California in 1947.
The federal case is considered to have set the stage for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education case seven years later, which said segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
In 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill requiring California’s public schools to teach Mendez v. Westminster, an effort led by Ta and Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana.
But Ta is hopeful a state holiday will not only educate even more people about the case, but also celebrate Mendez and her family.
“As we think about our future, we need to make sure that not only are we teaching this history, we are also honoring it,” Ta said. “This ensures Sylvia Mendez’s story is never forgotten.”
In an interview after he announced the bill at a press conference in Santa Ana, with Mendez in attendance, last week, Ta said the case was particularly important to him.
“I’m an immigrant myself. So I really appreciate the strong commitment to fight for equal opportunity in education from Sylvia Mendez’s parents and family at the time,” said Ta, a former Westminster mayor who emigrated from Vietnam. “That is what America is about.”
The bill is expected to be heard in committee soon, according to Ta’s office.
But it already has early support from Ta’s fellow legislators, including on the other side of the aisle.
“At a time when Latino children were being turned away from school doors simply because of who they were, Sylvia Mendez and her family refused to accept that. Her courage helped dismantle segregation in California and set a precedent for the entire nation,” Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, D-Anaheim, said in a statement. “I want to thank Assemblymember Ta for elevating the importance of Mendez v. Westminster.”
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Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster, takes part in a press conference in Santa Ana on Monday, April 13, 2026, to promote Assembly Bill 2294.
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Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster, takes part in a press conference in Santa Ana on Monday, April 13, 2026, to promote Assembly Bill 2294.
In other news
• A bill from Sen. Catherine Blakespear to limit the sale of nitrous oxide canisters — an effort to curb the availability, and therefore use, of the gas as a recreational drug — passed out of the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee last week.
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley joined the Democratic legislator, who represents communities in southern Orange County, in advocating for the bill in Sacramento. Orange County is among the supporters of the legislation, according to the bill analysis.
The bill would restrict the sale of nitrous oxide containers that can hold more than 8 grams and those that someone can directly inhale from to certain industries.
ACLU California Action is among those that oppose the bill, arguing that the language is too broad and could treat regular household goods as drug paraphernalia.
Delighted to report that #SB936, my legislation to help prevent the abuse of nitrous oxide, passed the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee today! Much thanks to OC Supervisor @KatrinaFoley and Humboldt County Supervisor Michelle Bushnell for joining me… pic.twitter.com/cFjsw3iXOR
— Senator Catherine S. Blakespear (@SenBlakespear) April 13, 2026
• The Senate Public Safety Committee gave the green light to a bill from Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, that would create a statewide task force to address prostitution and human trafficking. It would be made up of public health and social services professionals as well as human trafficking survivors, community groups, law enforcement and legal professionals, according to Strickland’s office.
The idea is to collect data and consider revisions to state laws related to prostitution and human trafficking so California can better protect victims and reduce trafficking crimes, Strickland’s office has said.
The bill was unanimously passed out of the committee with bipartisan support last week. Sgt. Christina Strunk with the Human Trafficking Unit for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Stanton city manager Hannah Shin-Heydorn had testified in support of the bill.
“As we all know, the laws around street prostitution have been in flux the past few years,” said Strickland. “But one thing has not changed: the damage street prostitution causes to victims and to the communities around them.”
“Communities across the state have reported increased visibility of street prostitution, broader impacts on neighborhoods and quality of life and growing challenges in identifying victims and connecting them to services and support,” he added.