This is a roundup of California Senate and Assembly bills written by Inland Empire electeds, or affecting the legal industry in the area.
- SB 89: Crimes: stalking in Senate
- This bill redefines the crime of stalking. A person would be guilty of stalking if they have the intent to harm the person they are stalking, and if they place the person in fear of bodily injury. Currently, stalking is willfully and maliciously following or harassing a person with the intent to put them in fear of their safety. Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) authored the bill.
- SB 97: Criminal procedure: writ of habeas corpus in Senate
- This bill would allow the district attorney to prosecute a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of a person to rectify a wrongful conviction or sentence. This bill would allow for prosecution of a writ of habeas corpus to be prosecuted on the additional bases of the discovery of new evidence discovered after a plea or a reasonable possibility that the factfinder would have reached a different outcome absent a combination of errors in the case. Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) authored the bill.
- SB 86: Crime victims: resource center in Senate
- This bill would require California’s crime victim resource center to provide their information through a website. Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta) authored the bill.
- SB 75: Courts: Judgeships in Senate Judiciary Committee
- This bill would authorize 26 additional judgeships across the state, without funding. The Judicial Council would allocate the positions to the courts. Sen. Richard Roth (D-Riverside) authored the bill.
- SB 71: Jurisdiction: small claims and limited civil case in Senate Judiciary Committee
- This bill would expand small claims jurisdiction to cover damage under $25,000. Currently, small claims cover under $10,000. Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) authored the bill.
- SB 64: Hate crimes: search warrants in Senate Public Safety Committee
- This bill would authorize a search warrant to be issued if the property seized is evidence of misdemeanor hate crimes. Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) authored the bill.
- SB-63: Homeless and Mental Health Court and Transitioning Home Grant Programs in Senate Public Safety Committee
- This bill would establish two grant programs that would expire Jan. 1, 2028. One program would fund homeless courts and mental health courts across California. The other would fund county sheriffs to reduce homelessness among released inmates. Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) authored the bill.
- SB 62: Controlled substances: fentanyl in Senate Public Safety Committee
- This bill would increase the term of imprisonment for fentanyl crimes, to be equal to the term for heroin and cocaine. Sen. Janet Nguyen (R-Garden Grove) authored the bill.
- SB 42: Attorneys: reporting professional misconduct in Senate Rules Committee
- This bill would mandate members of the State Bar to report to the Bar any professional misconduct they see other attorneys committing. Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) authored the bill.
- SB 36: Out-of-state criminal charges: prosecution related to abortion and gender-affirming care in Senate
- This bill would prohibit California judges from issuing warrants for the arrest of people wanted by another state for the crime of getting an abortion. Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Oakland) authored the bill.
- SB 22: Courts: remote proceedings and SB 21: Civil actions: remote proceedings: continuances and postponements in Senate Judiciary Committee
- These bills would extend the authorization of remote proceedings in court until Jan. 1, 2026. Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) authored the bills.
- SB 14: Violent felonies: serious felonies: human trafficking and AB 229: Violent felonies in Senate Public Safety Committee and the Assembly
- These partner bills would include human trafficking within the definition of a violent felony and the definition of a serious felony for all purposes, including for purposes of the Three Strikes Law. Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) authored the bill in the Senate, and Assemblymember Joe Patterson authored it in the Assembly.
- SB 13: Controlled substances in Senate Public Safety Committee
- This bill would advise people who are convicted of, or plead guilty to, distribution of controlled substances that they can be charged with manslaughter or murder if a person dies as a result of the drugs. Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) authored the bill.
- AB 89: Parole hearings: attorney notice in Assembly
- This bill would require district attorney’s offices to notify a victim’s next of kin if the office decided not to send a representative to a parole hearing. Assemblymember Kate Sanchez (R-Murrieta) authored the bill.
- AB 88: Criminal procedure: victims’ rights in Assembly
- This bill would require the court to provide a crime victim the opportunity to give a statement if a defendant is seeking resentencing. Assemblymember Kate Sanchez (R-Murrieta) authored the bill.
- AB 78: Grand juries in Assembly
- This bill would require the fee for grand jurors to be equal to 70% of the county’s median daily income for each day’s attendance. Currently, grand jurors are paid $15 for each day they appear. The bill would also require the list of grand jurors to include their gender, age and race or ethnicity. Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) authored the bill.
- AB 67: Homeless Courts Pilot Program in Assembly Health Committee
- This bill would create a Homeless Court Pilot Program. The program would provide community-based services for homeless people in the criminal justice system. The program would end Jan. 1, 2028, and would require funding from the state budget. Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) authored the bill.
- AB 32: Violent felonies: hate crimes in Assembly
- This bill would define felony hate crimes as a violent felony. Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D-Elk Grove) authored the bill.
- AB 23: Theft: shoplifting: amount in Assembly
- This bill would create a proposition to be voted on by Californians that would reduce the threshold amount for petty theft and shoplifting from $950 to $400. Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) authored the bill.
