This post was updated Sept. 29 at 12:28 p.m.

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Sunday that would have asked the UC to hold meetings and report data about its enforcement of Time, Place and Manner policies. 

Assembly Bill 2551 would have requested the UC Board of Regents and required the California State University Board of Trustees to hold separate open forum sessions to hear student feedback on TPM policies by Dec. 31, 2027. It also would have required the institutions to submit an annual report detailing student conduct violations and data on the race and gender of students affected by the universities’ enforcement of TPM policies.

UCLA’s TPM policies, finalized in September 2025, restrict where demonstrations can occur on campus without prior approval, limiting them to locations such as Bruin Plaza, East Pauley Plaza and the southeast corner of Dickson Court South. The policies prohibit public expression activity on campus between midnight and 6 a.m.

[Related: UCLA’s finalized Time, Place and Manner policy alters public expression guidelines]

TPM also bans the erection of temporary structures on UCLA property unless they are in conjunction with “appropriate campus activities.” The policies were enacted following a series of pro-Palestine protests in spring 2024, during which demonstrators set up tents and other structures to demand the UC divest from companies associated with the Israeli military. 

The UC and UCLA do not currently publish demographic data of specific student conduct violations or students affected by Time, Place and Manner policies.

Newsom said in a Sunday letter to the state assembly that he vetoed the bill because both the University and the CSU already hold regularly scheduled public forums, so the bill is redundant.

The UC Board of Regents and CSU Board of Trustees both hold six meetings annually, which include public comment sessions. 

[Related: Regents hear comment on UCLA childcare center closures, SAT/ACT reinstatement]

Rachel Zaentz, the senior director of Strategic and Critical Communications for the UC Office of the President, said in an emailed statement that the bill would have undermined content-neutral TPM policies that protect free expression and address harassment concerns.

“By rejecting AB 2551, Gov. Newsom sends a clear message: California’s college campuses can remain bastions of both free speech and safety through clear, consistent, and effective policies,” Zaentz said in the statement. “We will continue seeking student input through established University channels and partnering with state lawmakers to build supportive and responsive campus communities.”

Assemblymember Sade Elhawary introduced the bill, which was co-sponsored by the California Faculty Association, in February. After passing the assembly 78-0, the bill was amended to ask the UC Board of Regents and require the CSU Board of Trustees to produce a report and hold an open forum on a selected campus, rather than holding the hearings across individual campuses.

The bill passed the senate floor 23-12 and the assembly floor 44-8 before appearing on Newsom’s desk.

“This bill is really about transparency, about data, about continuing to keep our children safe by adding to existing reporting requirements,” Elhawary said to the assembly floor in August.

The UC Students Association said in a June Instagram post that AB 2551 would increase accountability at the UC and the CSU at a time when many students are concerned about their right to free expression. 

UCLA Media Relations declined to comment on the veto because it is a UC-wide issue. The UC Office of the President did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bill being vetoed. 

“Given the numerous ways that the campus community can already provide perspective to policy leaders, it is unnecessary to require an additional forum outside these established processes,” Newsom said in the letter.