September 12, 2026 - SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday issued a proclamation declaring September 11, 2026, as “Patriot Day” in the State of California.
The text of the proclamation can be found below:
PROCLAMATION
Twenty-five years ago, terror attacks in New York City, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania changed the lives of thousands of grieving families and transformed this country as we knew it. Three thousand innocent lives, including 36 Californians, were lost, and the sense of security many Americans had relied on for so long was shattered.
But even amid the debris and the devastation, there were also acts of extraordinary courage. In the face of fear and uncertainty, Americans chose selflessness and humanity. First responders ran toward danger. Everyday people risked their lives to help strangers. Today, as we remember those we have lost, we also remember those who stepped up. From the civilians who saw their neighbors in need and did something about it, to the men and women in uniform on that day, and every day thereafter, who put their lives on the line to serve this country and its people.
A quarter century later, a new generation has grown up knowing September 11 not as a memory, but as history. It is our responsibility now to ensure that the lives lost are never just names in a textbook, that future generations understand both the magnitude of what happened and the courage, service, and sacrifice shown in its aftermath.
In solemn remembrance of the victims and in honor of their families and of the many heroes — civilian and uniformed — who represented the best of us in the worst of times, I have ordered all flags on state buildings to be flown at half-staff on September 11.
NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2026, as “Patriot Day.”
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 10th day of September 2026.
GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California
ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State 
Source: Office of the Governor
