Government Code section 8310.4
(a)
This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Middle Eastern and North African Inclusion Act (MENA Inclusion Act).(b)
A state or local agency that directly or by contract collects demographic data as to the ancestry or ethnic origin of Californians shall use the following separate collection categories and tabulations for major Middle Eastern or North African groups in any provided form that offers respondents the option of selecting one or more ethnic or racial designations or languages:(1)
A major Middle Eastern group, including, but not limited to, Afghan, Bahraini, Emirati, Iranian, Iraqi, Israeli, Jordanian, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Omani, Palestinian, Qatari, Saudi Arabian, Syrian, Turkish, and Yemeni.(2)
A major North African group, including, but not limited to, Algerian, Djiboutian, Egyptian, Libyan, Mauritanian, Moroccan, Somali, Sudanese, and Tunisian.(3)
A major transnational Middle Eastern and North African group, including, but not limited to, Amazigh or Berber, Armenian, Assyrian, Chaldean, Circassian, and Kurdish.(c)
Except as provided in subdivision (d), a state or local agency shall do both of the following with the data collected pursuant to subdivision (b):(1)
Include the data in every demographic report on ancestry or ethnic origins of Californians by the state or local agency that is published on or after January 1, 2029.(2)
Make the aggregated data available to the public in accordance with state and federal law, including, but not limited to, by publishing the data on its internet website.(d)
(1)A state or local agency shall not disclose personal identifying information about any person whose demographic data is collected pursuant to this section. The state or local agency may, to prevent the identification of individuals, aggregate data categories at a state, county, city, census tract, or ZIP Code level to facilitate comparisons and identify disparities.(2)
A state or local agency shall not make data available that would result in statistical unreliability.(e)
For purposes of this section:(1)
“Local agency” means a city, county, or city and county, whether general law or chartered.(2)
“Personal identifying information” has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 530.55 of the Penal Code.(3)
(A)“State agency” means a state agency, office, officer, department, division, bureau, board, or commission.(B)
“State agency” does not include the California State University or the University of California.(f)
This section shall become operative January 1, 2028.
Source:
Section 8310.4, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV§ionNum=8310.4. (updated Jan. 1, 2026; accessed Dec. 15, 2025).
