State and local agencies: demographic data.

Assembly Member Harabedian's Middle Eastern and North African Inclusion Act mandates that California state and local agencies collect detailed demographic data for Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) populations beginning January 1, 2027. The legislation requires agencies to establish distinct categories for major Middle Eastern groups like Iranian, Lebanese and Syrian; North African groups including Egyptian, Moroccan and Sudanese; and transnational groups such as Armenian, Kurdish and Amazigh.

Under the new requirements, agencies must incorporate this demographic data into all reports published after January 1, 2028, and make aggregated statistics publicly available online. The bill includes privacy protections that prohibit the disclosure of personally identifying information and allow agencies to aggregate data at geographic levels that prevent individual identification while enabling analysis of population patterns and disparities.

The measure applies to all California cities, including charter cities, reflecting the Legislature's determination that MENA demographic data collection constitutes a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair. While the University of California system is requested to comply with these provisions, the bill provides that local agencies and school districts may receive state reimbursement for costs associated with implementing the new data collection and reporting requirements.