Bill Commons

CA AB 2122

vetoed

Infractions: warrants and penalties.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

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Quick answers

Did CA AB 2122 pass?

No. CA AB 2122 passed the legislature but was vetoed. Latest recorded action (2026-09-20): Vetoed by Governor.

What is CA AB 2122 about?

(1) Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to willfully fail to appear in court, as specified. Existing law, when a person has failed to appear and has not posted bail, requires the magistrate to issue a warrant for the person's arrest within 20 days of the failure to appear. This bill would make those sections only apply when the underlying charge is not an infraction. (2) Existing law authorizes the issuance of a bench warrant of arrest when a person fails to appear in court as promised in specified criminal proceedings. This bill would prohibit the issuance of a bench warrant of arrest when the underlying crime is an infraction issued pursuant to the Vehicle Code. The bill would require bench warrants for other infractions to be limited to only authorizing arrest and booking at the scene followed by immediate release, as specified. (3) Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to willfully fail to appear in court for a violation of the Vehicle Code, and requires the court to report a conviction of this offense to the Department of Motor Vehicles. This bill would make that misdemeanor only apply when the underlying charge is not an infraction. The bill would also remove the requirement for the court to report a conviction of this offense to the department. (4) Existing law authorizes the imposition of a civil assessment or the issuance of an arrest warrant when a person fails to make an installment payment on bail imposed by the court for an infraction violation of the Vehicle Code. Existing law also makes it a misdemeanor to fail to pay bail in installments or to fail to pay a fine imposed for the violation of a state or local traffic law. This bill would remove the misdemeanor for failure to pay a bail installment or fine if the original charge was an infraction. The bill would remove the authorization to issue an arrest warrant for failure to pay a bail installment. (5) Existing law, if a defendant does not appear at the time the case is called for a violation of the Vehicle Code, authorizes the court to declare the bail forfeited and order that no further proceedings be had in the case, or to issue a warrant for the arrest of the defendant. However, if a defendant is charged with specified crimes, including disposing of a flaming or glowing substance on or near a road and littering a highway, has previously been convicted of the same crime, and fails to appear at the time the case is called to trial, existing law authorizes the court to declare the bail forfeited and requires the court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the person charged, unless the magistrate finds that undue hardship will be imposed by requiring the defendant to appear. This bill would remove the requirement that the magistrate issue a bench warrant when the person has committed one of the crimes specified above.

Who sponsors CA AB 2122?

Kalra is the primary sponsor of CA AB 2122, joined by 6 cosponsors.

Description

(1) Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to willfully fail to appear in court, as specified. Existing law, when a person has failed to appear and has not posted bail, requires the magistrate to issue a warrant for the person's arrest within 20 days of the failure to appear. This bill would make those sections only apply when the underlying charge is not an infraction. (2) Existing law authorizes the issuance of a bench warrant of arrest when a person fails to appear in court as promised in specified criminal proceedings. This bill would prohibit the issuance of a bench warrant of arrest when the underlying crime is an infraction issued pursuant to the Vehicle Code. The bill would require bench warrants for other infractions to be limited to only authorizing arrest and booking at the scene followed by immediate release, as specified. (3) Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to willfully fail to appear in court for a violation of the Vehicle Code, and requires the court to report a conviction of this offense to the Department of Motor Vehicles. This bill would make that misdemeanor only apply when the underlying charge is not an infraction. The bill would also remove the requirement for the court to report a conviction of this offense to the department. (4) Existing law authorizes the imposition of a civil assessment or the issuance of an arrest warrant when a person fails to make an installment payment on bail imposed by the court for an infraction violation of the Vehicle Code. Existing law also makes it a misdemeanor to fail to pay bail in installments or to fail to pay a fine imposed for the violation of a state or local traffic law. This bill would remove the misdemeanor for failure to pay a bail installment or fine if the original charge was an infraction. The bill would remove the authorization to issue an arrest warrant for failure to pay a bail installment. (5) Existing law, if a defendant does not appear at the time the case is called for a violation of the Vehicle Code, authorizes the court to declare the bail forfeited and order that no further proceedings be had in the case, or to issue a warrant for the arrest of the defendant. However, if a defendant is charged with specified crimes, including disposing of a flaming or glowing substance on or near a road and littering a highway, has previously been convicted of the same crime, and fails to appear at the time the case is called to trial, existing law authorizes the court to declare the bail forfeited and requires the court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the person charged, unless the magistrate finds that undue hardship will be imposed by requiring the defendant to appear. This bill would remove the requirement that the magistrate issue a bench warrant when the person has committed one of the crimes specified above.

Introduced
2026-04-15
Latest action
2026-09-20 — Vetoed by Governor.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Kalraauthor
  • Lowenthalauthor
  • Bryanprincipal coauthor
  • Harabediancoauthor
  • Schultzcoauthor
  • Sharp-Collinscoauthor
  • Pérezcoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-09-20

    Vetoed by Governor.

    executive-veto

  2. 2026-09-03

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  3. 2026-08-27

    In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.

  4. 2026-08-26

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 25. Noes 11.).

  5. 2026-08-13

    In committee: Reconsideration of a favorable vote granted.

  6. 2026-08-13

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 4. Noes 2.) (August 13).

  7. 2026-08-13

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  8. 2026-06-29

    In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  9. 2026-06-16

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 1.) (June 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  10. 2026-06-03

    Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  11. 2026-05-22

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  12. 2026-05-22

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 55. Noes 18. Page 5264.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  13. 2026-05-18

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  14. 2026-05-14

    Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended. (Page 5030.)

  15. 2026-05-14

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 4.) (May 14).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  16. 2026-05-13

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  17. 2026-04-20

    Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    referral-committee

  18. 2026-04-16

    Read second time and amended.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  19. 2026-04-15

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 2.) (April 14).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee

  20. 2026-04-07

    In committee: Set, second hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  21. 2026-03-24

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  22. 2026-03-09

    Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  23. 2026-02-19

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.

  24. 2026-02-18

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

Versions

  • 02/18/26 - Introduced — 2026-02-18Compare
  • 04/16/26 - Amended Assembly — 2026-04-16Compare
  • 08/30/26 - Enrolled — 2026-08-30Compare
  • AB2122Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2026-04-14 · pass · 7-2

    Member-level votes (9)
    • Schultz: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Alanis: no
    • Lackey: no
  • Do pass.

    2026-05-14 · pass · 11-4

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Krell: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Tangipa: no
    • Ta: no
    • Dixon: no
    • Hoover: no
  • AB 2122 Kalra Assembly Third Reading

    2026-05-22 · pass · 55-18

    Member-level votes (80)
    • Calderon: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Castillo: no
    • Johnson: no
    • Alanis: no
    • Dixon: no
    • Ellis: no
    • Patterson: no
    • Wallis: no
    • Sanchez: no
    • Gallagher: no
    • Tangipa: no
    • Jeff Gonzalez: no
    • Bains: no
    • Hoover: no
    • DeMaio: no
    • Macedo: no
    • Hadwick: no
    • Davies: no
    • Lackey: no
    • Bauer-Kahan: other
    • Gabriel: other
    • Chen: other
    • Celeste Rodriguez: other
    • Ta: other
    • Wicks: other
    • Arambula: other
  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2026-06-16 · pass · 4-1

    Member-level votes (6)
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Seyarto: no
    • Caballero: other
  • Placed on suspense file

    2026-06-29 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Grayson: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

Attribution

Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-09-21T20:02:07.756944Z

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