California governor vetoes bill dubbed 'Israel tax' by critics

California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have fined social media companies for promoting discriminatory or violent content. The legislation, SB 771, was particularly focused on antisemitism but drew sharp criticism from civil rights organizations like CAIR and the ADC. These groups argued the bill would function as an "Israel tax" by using the controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism to suppress legitimate criticism of Israel and pro-Palestinian speech. In his veto, Newsom called the bill premature, stating that the adequacy of existing civil rights laws should be evaluated first.