California Makes Diwali an Official Statewide Holiday as SF's Indian Dining Scene Claims National Spotlight

California has joined a small group of states in formally enshrining Diwali as an official statewide holiday, with Gov. Gavin Newsom signing the legislation into law. The bill was coauthored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra of San Jose and Assemblymember Darshana Patel of San Diego, and grants public school students an excused absence while allowing state employees to elect a paid day off in observance of the festival. The milestone arrives as San Francisco's Indian dining scene is also drawing national attention, with The Infatuation publishing a detailed guide to the fifteen best Indian restaurants across the city.

🗳️ California Becomes Third State to Recognize Diwali as an Official Holiday

California has become the third U.S. state to designate Diwali — the Hindu Festival of Lights — as an official statewide holiday, following Pennsylvania, which made Diwali a statewide holiday in 2024, and Connecticut, which did so earlier in 2025. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law on a Tuesday, with the legislation coauthored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra, a Democrat representing San Jose, and Assemblymember Darshana Patel, representing San Diego. The law creates several distinct provisions: public schools and community colleges are authorized to close on Diwali; state employees may elect to take the day off; and public school students receive an excused absence. Crucially, the legislation acknowledges that Diwali is celebrated not only by Hindus but also by Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists, a point of inclusion that advocates worked to ensure. Puneet Kaur Sandhu, a Sacramento-based senior state policy manager for the Sikh Coalition, collaborated with Ash Kalra specifically to make the bill's language broadly representative. The Hindu American Foundation and the Coalition of Hindus in North America were among the organizations that advocated for the law's passage. Samir Kalra, managing director of the Hindu American Foundation, said the provisions for students and state employees represent important leaps toward making Diwali truly accessible to those who celebrate. The law carries particular weight in California, where a 2025 Pew survey estimated that 960,000 of the nation's 4.9 million Indian Americans — roughly 20 percent — reside. Ash Kalra, who grew up celebrating Diwali in an experience he described as largely isolated from the rest of his life, said that having South Asian children be able to proudly celebrate and share it with others is a significant moment. The holiday derives its name from Deepavali, the Sanskrit term for a row of lights. [2]

🍛 New Guide Names SF's Fifteen Best Indian Restaurants

The Infatuation published its comprehensive guide to the fifteen best Indian restaurants in San Francisco on December 22, 2025, with the review authored by Julia Chen, Lani Conway, Ricky Rodriguez, and Patrick Wong. The guide frames the city's Indian food landscape with broad enthusiasm, noting that diners can find perfectly crispy dosas, sizzling platters of tandoori fish, and pani puri spiked with gin at the many Indian establishments operating across San Francisco. The guide covers a range of establishment types, from casual counter-service spots to high-end, entirely vegetarian restaurants, reflecting the diversity and depth of the city's Indian dining scene. Among the featured restaurants is Besharam, located at 1275 Minnesota Street in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood, which falls in the guide's top price tier. Besharam is specifically highlighted as an ideal venue for vegetarians, for diners seeking well-crafted cocktails, for those who prefer eating at the bar, and for occasions such as birthdays and date nights. The restaurant is also noted as welcoming to walk-in guests, making it accessible beyond reservation-only dining. The breadth of the guide — spanning neighborhoods throughout the city and catering to a wide range of budgets, occasions, and dietary preferences — underscores the scale and sophistication of San Francisco's Indian restaurant community. For residents and visitors navigating a city with many Indian culinary options, the guide offers a carefully curated entry point covering everything from regional street food to upscale contemporary Indian menus, cementing SF's reputation as one of the country's strongest markets for Indian cuisine. [3]

Sources: [2] ABC7 Bay Area · [3] The Infatuation