California Makes Diwali an Official State Holiday as San Jose's Saapaaduu Earns Chronicle Top Ranking
California has made history for its large South Asian population by designating Diwali an official statewide holiday, becoming only the third U.S. state to do so after Governor Gavin Newsom signed the legislation. Closer to home in Silicon Valley, the San Francisco Chronicle has spotlighted Saapaaduu — a South Indian restaurant hidden inside a San Jose business park — as one of California's finest Indian dining destinations.
🪔 California Makes Diwali an Official Statewide Holiday
California has become the third U.S. state to designate Diwali as an official statewide holiday after Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law, following Pennsylvania — which was first in 2024 — and Connecticut, which acted earlier in 2025. The legislation authorizes public schools and community colleges to close on Diwali, entitles public school students to an excused absence to celebrate, and allows state employees to elect the day as paid leave.
The bill was coauthored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra, a Democrat from San Jose — the heart of Silicon Valley's South Asian community — and Assemblymember Darshana Patel from San Diego. Kalra, who grew up celebrating Diwali with his family, said the holiday had always felt separate from the rest of his life. "To have South Asian children be able to proudly celebrate and share it with others is a significant moment," he said.
The law explicitly recognizes that Diwali is observed not only by Hindus but also by Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists. The Sikh Coalition worked closely with Kalra to ensure inclusive language. "It's so meaningful that all of us in the community can take this day to celebrate," said Puneet Kaur Sandhu of the Sikh Coalition. The Hindu American Foundation also praised the bill: "The provisions that allow students to take the day off without repercussion and state employees to take paid leave are important leaps toward making Diwali truly accessible," said managing director Samir Kalra.
With an estimated 960,000 Indian Americans living in California — roughly 20 percent of the nation's 4.9 million Indian-origin population, per a 2025 Pew survey — this recognition carries enormous weight for the Bay Area and beyond. [3]
🍛 Saapaaduu: San Jose's Hidden Business-Park Gem Named One of California's Best Indian Restaurants
The San Francisco Chronicle has trained its spotlight on Saapaaduu, a South Indian restaurant nestled inside a Silicon Valley business park in San Jose, naming it one of California's best Indian restaurants. The detail that stands out immediately — and that the Chronicle chose as its lead — is the restaurant's unlikely setting: it hides in a business park, the kind of anonymous corporate environment that food journalists rarely visit and diners rarely discover on their own.
The name Saapaaduu is a Tamil word meaning food or a meal, signaling deep roots in the Tamil culinary tradition. South Indian cuisine — with its rice-based dishes, lentil stews, tamarind-spiked gravies, and fermented foods like idli and dosa — differs substantially from the North Indian fare most American diners associate with Indian restaurants, and it remains underrepresented in mainstream food media despite a large and passionate audience.
San Jose and the broader South Bay have quietly become a significant hub for South Indian cuisine, sustained by the large South Indian professional community that settled in Silicon Valley over the past three decades, drawn by the technology industry. For this community, restaurants like Saapaaduu serve as cultural anchors — places where Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam speakers find the flavors of home in the diaspora.
A San Francisco Chronicle endorsement carries considerable influence in the Bay Area, positioning Saapaaduu not just as a community favorite but as a destination worth crossing the region to visit. For Desi readers, it is a moment of recognition for a cuisine and a community that deserve it. [1]
Sources: [3] ABC7 Bay Area · [1] San Francisco Chronicle