Assembly Bill 2121 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) enables community colleges to preserve critical student support programs cut by the federal government.
Media Contacts:
West Valley-Mission Community College District: Cade Story-Yetto, Chief of Staff, 408-741-2513, [email protected]
Berman Press: [email protected]
SACRAMENTO, CA – Governor Newsom signed AB 2121 to protect and maintain critical programs for vulnerable community college students under attack by President Trump.
Assembly Bill 2121, the Defending Student Equity and Access Act, responds to the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of federal student success programs by removing barriers that prevent community colleges from backfilling this loss in federal funding.
“When President Trump targets our community colleges and our vulnerable student populations, California must do everything we can to fight back. In these unprecedented times, AB 2121 takes a balanced approach that empowers our community colleges to use their own funding to save critical support programs that help students complete their degrees," said Assemblymember Berman. “I am proud to have partnered with West Valley-Mission Community College District, and thank Governor Newsom for signing this student centered bill into law to make absolutely clear that California remains committed to equity and access to higher education for all of our residents.”
In September 2025, the Trump administration terminated $350 million in Minority Serving Institution (MSI) grants and TRIO programs, leaving colleges without funding for these vital student support programs. This threatens long-standing initiatives that provide counseling, tutoring, mentoring, and transfer guidance to more than 1.6 million California community college students. With these harmful federal cuts, programs that help California’s most vulnerable students complete their degrees – low-income, first-generation, and students of color – are at risk of shutting down.
MSI programs provide support at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-Serving institutions (AANHPIs), and other colleges serving high concentrations of underrepresented students. Research shows these programs significantly increase college completion rates for students who would otherwise be least likely to persist. More than 90 percent of California’s community colleges are designated HSIs, with the state receiving roughly 70 percent of all federal HSI funding.
TRIO programs serve low-income and first-generation students nationwide through tutoring, mentoring, college application assistance, and financial aid guidance. In California alone, more than 440 TRIO projects serve students with over $150 million in annual federal funding.
“When I started college, I felt insecure and anxious about the process of registering for classes, applying for financial aid, and even finding out what educational plans were available to me. The advisors and counselors in these programs taught me all of that, and they’re the reason I’m able to continue my community college journey with confidence,” said Luna Pulido, West Valley College student. “Watching the Trump administration try to take these programs away was hard, because I know how many students depend on them and the impact they have on those students and their families. I’m thankful our district took our stories to Sacramento and was willing to step up with its own funding, and I’m grateful to Assemblymember Marc Berman for listening to students and carrying this bill. Because of them, the next student who walks onto campus unsure of where to start will still have someone there to help.”
Under current law, federal grant dollars are excluded from California’s Fifty Percent Law, which requires community colleges to spend at least fifty percent of their expenditures on classroom instructors. However, if community colleges want to backfill the federal cuts the Fifty Percent Law would apply to those replacement dollars, impacting compliance and penalizing community colleges for stepping up to help their students.
“AB 2121 tells California’s community college students that the state will not let the Trump administration decide whether they finish their education. When President Trump moved to dismantle TRIO and Minority-Serving Institution programs, districts across California stood ready to protect these services with their own resources, and the Governor has now made sure state law allows us to do that without penalty,” said Chancellor Bradley J. Davis of the West Valley-Mission Community College District. “I am deeply grateful to Governor Newsom for once again refusing to back down from this administration, and to Assemblymember Berman, whose leadership carried this bill through the Legislature with strong bipartisan support.”
AB 2121, which takes effect January 1, 2027, includes transparency requirements and annual district certifications, with a sunset after five years or upon restoration of federal funding to every community college district, whichever occurs first. Importantly, the new law maintains safeguards for faculty, such as not reducing spending on classroom instructors.
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Read Assemblymember Marc Berman's Press Release
Assemblymember Marc Berman represents the 23rd Assembly District, which includes southern San Mateo County and northern Santa Clara County in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Website of Assemblymember Marc Berman: www.assembly.ca.gov/Berman. Assemblymember Marc Berman’s official headshot is available at a23.asmdc.org/biography
About West Valley College
West Valley College is part of the West Valley-Mission Community College District. Designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution, West Valley College enrolls approximately 15,000 students annually and is in the heart of the Silicon Valley in a beautiful park-like setting on 143 wooded acres. The student population represents diverse communities serving the cities of Saratoga, Campbell, and Los Gatos. WVC is ranked number one in transfer in Silicon Valley, the Bay Area and in California out of 116 community colleges. The college is known for high-quality academic programs and faculty, dedicated classified professionals, and an equity-minded approach to student success. For more information, visit www.westvalley.edu.