Diwali becomes California's official holiday; Marina's Tiya earns top dining praise

California has officially made Diwali a statewide holiday, granting state employees paid leave and closing public schools on the day. On the dining front, Eater San Francisco has singled out Tiya, the Marina district Indian restaurant opened by brothers Sujan and Pujan Sarkar, as a premier destination whose recognition is only a matter of time.

🗳️ California makes Diwali an official statewide holiday

California has officially recognized Diwali as a statewide holiday following the governor's signature on enabling legislation. Under the new law, state employees may take a paid day off to observe the festival, public schools and community colleges are required to close, and public school students who celebrate are entitled to an excused absence. The law explicitly acknowledges that Diwali is observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists. California becomes the third U.S. state to grant Diwali official holiday status, after Pennsylvania in 2024 and Connecticut earlier in 2026. The bill was co-authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra, a Democrat from San Jose, and Assemblymember Darshana Patel of San Diego. Kalra, who grew up celebrating Diwali, said he hoped the law would let South Asian children celebrate the festival openly and with pride alongside their classmates. California is home to approximately 960,000 of the country's estimated 4.9 million Indian Americans — roughly 20 percent of the national total, according to a 2025 Pew survey. San Jose, situated in Silicon Valley, has a notably large Indian American population. Hindu American organizations, including the Hindu American Foundation and the Coalition of Hindus in North America, advocated for the measure. The Foundation described the provisions for paid leave and excused absences as important steps toward making Diwali genuinely accessible to those who observe it. Diwali falls on October 20 this year. The holiday takes its name from the Sanskrit Deepavali, meaning a row of lights symbolizing the victory of knowledge over ignorance. [3]

🍛 Tiya restaurant earns praise as Marina's premier Indian destination

Tiya, an Indian restaurant that opened in spring 2024 on Lombard Street in San Francisco's Marina neighborhood, has been reviewed by Eater San Francisco as the district's leading Indian dining destination and a standout in the Bay Area's broader South Asian food scene. The restaurant is run by brothers Sujan and Pujan Sarkar, whose approach combines ambition, care, and a strong allergen-friendly focus. Tiya's tasting menus are the centerpiece of the experience, offered at three courses for $105, with vegetarian and vegan versions priced at $95. Ordering à la carte is also available. Among the dishes highlighted in the review, the tandoori avocado — grilled and presented over green chickpea hummus — stands out as an inventive vegetable-forward creation that the reviewer described as rare in the city. Barman Izler Thomas's cocktail menu draws inspiration from San Francisco's distinct neighborhoods. Eater notes that while Tiya has not yet reached wide recognition, the quality of its food and concept makes that recognition a matter of time. The Sarkar brothers bring fine-dining sensibility to the Marina, a neighborhood associated with a more casual dining culture, giving San Francisco's South Asian restaurant landscape a distinctive new voice. [6]

Sources: [3] ABC7 Bay Area · [6] Eater San Francisco