The California Senate Appropriations Committee passed a bill Thursday that would allow undocumented students to hold on-campus jobs at UCLA and other public universities across the state.
The Opportunity for All Act – or Assembly Bill 713 – would prohibit the UC, California State University and California Community Colleges from denying students campus employment based solely on their immigration status.
The committee advanced the bill in a 5-2 vote Thursday, sending it to the state Senate floor.
The state Senate has until Aug. 31 to vote on the bill, which would then be either returned to the Assembly for approval of any amendments or be sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom. If passed by the California State Legislature and signed into law, the bill would require the state’s public universities to implement its provisions starting Jan. 6, 2027.
Assemblymember José Luis Solache Jr., who sponsored the bill, said in a texted statement that California should continue to lead efforts to support undocumented students.
“Our students are simply asking for equal opportunity to work and contribute to our communities and the campus they call home,” Solache said in the statement.
The UC Office of the President did not immediately respond in time to a request for comment on the vote.
UCLA students and professors launched the Opportunity for All campaign in 2022, arguing that a 1986 federal law prohibiting the employment of undocumented immigrants does not apply to state government entities. A UCLA alumnus and lecturer filed a lawsuit against the University – the Umaña Muñoz v. Regents of the University of California case – in October 2024 to challenge its hiring policy.
The California Supreme Court refused to review an October 2025 appeal of the case, letting stand a lower court ruling that found the UC’s hiring restrictions on undocumented students discriminatory. The ruling required the University to reconsider its hiring policy, but did not specify whether federal law prohibits state entities from employing undocumented students.
[Related: Undocumented students push for UC job opportunities, citing California court ruling]
The UC Board of Regents declined a proposal from the Opportunity for All campaign to allow students without federal work authorization to hold campus jobs in January 2024. The regents said the University’s hiring policy aims to abide by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 – a federal law that makes it illegal for employers to hire undocumented people – and not complying would risk billions of dollars in federal research grants.
“I want to recognize the brave students, allies, and partners who have dedicated years building the Opportunity for All coalition,” Solache said in the statement. “This vote brings us closer to rectifying student employment inequity.”
