California Governor signs bill making Lunar New Year as an official holiday for state employees

San Francisco's Chinese New Year's Parade is the largest in the nation.

In a flurry of bill signing before the end of September, among the dozens of bills signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a bill that would make the Lunar New Year an official holiday for state employees.

“Recognizing this day as a state holiday acknowledges the diversity and cultural significance Asian Americans bring to California and provides an opportunity for all Californians to participate in the significance of the Lunar New Year,” said Newsom in a proclamation.

in signing the bill authored by Assemblymember Evan Low (San Francisco), Newsom did not specify a date to the new holiday, which would apply only to state employees. Various ethnicities celebrate the Lunar New Year, but the actual date of the event fluctuates among the different cultures and depends on the Lunar cycle.

According to the US Census, Asian Americans make up 15% (or, 6-7 million) of California's total population. Chinese Americans number around only about 1.3 million out of a total of almost 40 million but are concentrated in politically powerful urban centers such as the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angele-Orange County metro region.

Although earlier this year, Newsom proclaimed Feb. 1 a state holiday, to celebrate Chinese New Year, the best known of the Lunar New Year celebrations. In the US, the Vietnamese and some Hmong have altered their celebrations to coincide with the Chinese New Year, although in the countries of origin, the dates might differ. For example, the Hmong celebrate the new year in early December and the Thai usher in the new year in April.

Chinese New Year is defined as the second new moon after the winter solstice; thus it begins sometime between late January and mid-February, approximately at the beginning of Spring (which, in the Chinese calendar, starts forty-five days after the winter solstice). It is celebrated not only in China, but also in Korea, Vietnam (where it is known as Tet), and in Chinese communities throughout the world.

“I am signing AB 2596, which authorizes any state employee to utilize 8 hours of vacation, annual leave, or time off in lieu of receiving 8 hours of personal holiday to observe the Lunar New Year,” specified Newsom.

The new holiday does not create an extra day off for state workers. The proclamation allows employees to use existing vacation time to take the day off if they wish. In the past, workers who wished to take the Lunar New Year's day off, had to use personal time. The state proclamation does not mandate the holiday for private businesses or other local jurisdictions.

"I am extremely proud of the richness of the diversity and backgrounds represented in our state and understand the importance of watnting to see one's own experience reflected in our state holidays," said Newsom in his proclamation.

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