A state bill that could give San Mateo Union High School District students a new credential for climate coursework and environmental projects cleared the California Legislature and now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

SB 1048, authored by state Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park), creates a voluntary California Seal of Climate Literacy. Students who complete climate-related coursework and hands-on community environmental work would earn the recognition. The bill received unanimous, bipartisan support in its final Senate vote, according to Becker's office. Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto bills from this legislative session, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Becker represents Senate District 13, which covers most of San Mateo County.

The seal could land on familiar ground at SMUHSD. The district earned a 2025 California Green Ribbon School District Sustainability Honoree designation from the state Department of Education. Each school site has a designated sustainability facilitator, and the SMUHSD board unanimously voted in April 2025 to ban single-use plastic water bottles on all campuses, effective July 1, 2025, according to district records.

SMUHSD also partnered with Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action to hold Climate Literacy Assemblies during Sustainability Week in November 2024. SVYCA is one of SB 1048's four co-sponsors, alongside Ten Strands, UndauntedK12 and the California State PTA.

Four SMUHSD programs received 2026 Sustainable and Climate Resilient Schools Standout Awards, including Aragon High School's H.O.P.E. Uniforms Program and Mills High School's waste-management curriculum for freshmen.

Participation in the seal program would be voluntary for districts. The bill allows the state superintendent of public instruction to partner with nonprofit organizations to develop the framework. The seal would join two existing California student recognitions: the State Seal of Civic Engagement and the State Seal of Biliteracy. Colorado became the first state to adopt a similar climate literacy seal in 2024.

"The unanimous, bipartisan support for this bill shows that preparing our students for the future is something we can all get behind," Becker said in a Monday, Sept. 7 statement. "… California students deserve the knowledge and skills to meet that future and to lead it."

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond backed the measure, saying the seal would expand pathways to green careers for California students. Aahaan Jain, a Lynbrook High School student who co-leads SVYCA's state advocacy team, said in a statement that the seal sends a signal to employers and colleges that students have "valuable, marketable skills and experiences."

No SMUHSD board member or administrator has publicly commented on SB 1048. The district has not announced whether it would opt in if Newsom signs the bill by the Sept. 30 deadline.