California to fine schools that ban textbooks on race or LGBTQ+ topics

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed into law on Monday a bill prohibiting schools from banning books on racial or LGBTQ+ teachings that could result in fines for any authority in the state that defies the legislation.

Why it matters: The move against what Newsom calls "textbook censorship in schools" follows an unprecedented wave of book bans in Florida and across the U.S.

• The legislation is in direct response to efforts by conservative leadership in some California school districts to censor or remove books — notably one in the Riverside County city of Temecula that opposed featuring content on slain San Francisco gay rights leader Harvey Milk.

What they're saying: "From Temecula to Tallahassee, fringe ideologues across the country are attempting to whitewash history and ban books from schools," Newsom said in a statment after signing the legislation that took immediate effect Monday.

• "With this new law, we're cementing California's role as the true freedom state: a place where families — not political fanatics — have the freedom to decide what's right for them."

Go deeper: California officials aim to halt book bans to "preserve freedom"