CA AB 237
in committeeCrimes: threats.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower
Quick answers
Did CA AB 237 pass?
Not yet. CA AB 237 is in committee as of 2025-09-13 and has not come to a final vote. Latest recorded action (2025-09-13): Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Grayson.
What is CA AB 237 about?
Existing law makes it a crime to willfully threaten to commit a crime that will result in death or great bodily injury to another person, with the specific intent that the statement is to be taken as a threat that, on its face and under the circumstances in which it is made, is so unequivocal, unconditional, immediate, and specific as to convey to the person threatened a gravity of purpose and an immediate prospect of execution of the threat, and thereby reasonably causes the threatened person to be in sustained fear for their own safety or the safety of their immediate family, as defined. Under existing law, this crime is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for no more than one year for a misdemeanor, or by imprisonment in state prison for a felony. This bill would make it a crime for a person to willfully threaten, by any means, including, but not limited to, an image or threat posted or published on an internet web page, to commit a crime at specified locations, including a daycare and workplace, with specific intent that the statement is be taken as a threat, even if there is no intent of actually carrying it out, if the threat, on its face and under the circumstances in which it is made is so unequivocal, unconditional, immediate, and specific as to convey to the person or persons threatened a gravity of purpose and an immediate prospect of execution of the threat, and if the threat causes a person or person to reasonably be in sustained fear for their own safety or the safety of others at the specified locations. This bill would make this crime, for a person 18 years of age or older, punishable as a wobbler by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year or by imprisonment in the county jail for 16 months or 2 or 3 years. If a person under 18 years of age commits this crime, the bill would require the person to be referred to specified services in lieu of being declared a ward of the court, if eligible. If the person is ineligible, the bill would require the offense to be punished as a misdemeanor. By creating a new crime and imposing additional duties on local governments, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Who sponsors CA AB 237?
Patel is the primary sponsor of CA AB 237, joined by 1 cosponsor.
Description
Existing law makes it a crime to willfully threaten to commit a crime that will result in death or great bodily injury to another person, with the specific intent that the statement is to be taken as a threat that, on its face and under the circumstances in which it is made, is so unequivocal, unconditional, immediate, and specific as to convey to the person threatened a gravity of purpose and an immediate prospect of execution of the threat, and thereby reasonably causes the threatened person to be in sustained fear for their own safety or the safety of their immediate family, as defined. Under existing law, this crime is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for no more than one year for a misdemeanor, or by imprisonment in state prison for a felony. This bill would make it a crime for a person to willfully threaten, by any means, including, but not limited to, an image or threat posted or published on an internet web page, to commit a crime at specified locations, including a daycare and workplace, with specific intent that the statement is be taken as a threat, even if there is no intent of actually carrying it out, if the threat, on its face and under the circumstances in which it is made is so unequivocal, unconditional, immediate, and specific as to convey to the person or persons threatened a gravity of purpose and an immediate prospect of execution of the threat, and if the threat causes a person or person to reasonably be in sustained fear for their own safety or the safety of others at the specified locations. This bill would make this crime, for a person 18 years of age or older, punishable as a wobbler by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year or by imprisonment in the county jail for 16 months or 2 or 3 years. If a person under 18 years of age commits this crime, the bill would require the person to be referred to specified services in lieu of being declared a ward of the court, if eligible. If the person is ineligible, the bill would require the offense to be punished as a misdemeanor. By creating a new crime and imposing additional duties on local governments, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
- Introduced
- 2025-03-04
- Latest action
- 2025-09-13 — Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Grayson.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Patelauthor
- Rogerscoauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
2025-01-13
Read first time. To print.
reading-1
2025-01-14
From printer. May be heard in committee February 13.
2025-02-10
Referred to Com. on PUB. S.
referral-committee
2025-03-04
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (March 4).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee
2025-03-05
Read second time and amended.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-03-06
Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
referral-committee
2025-04-09
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.
referral-committee
2025-05-23
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (May 23).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage
2025-05-23
Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-05-23
Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Ayes 51. Noes 16. Page 1644.)
2025-05-27
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-06-03
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 2001.)
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-06-04
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
reading-1,referral-committee
2025-06-18
Referred to Com. on PUB. S.
referral-committee
2025-07-02
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (July 1).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee
2025-07-03
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-08-18
In committee: Referred to suspense file.
referral-committee
2025-08-29
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 29).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-08-29
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-13
Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Grayson.
Versions
Documents
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Votes
Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-03-04 · pass · 9-0
Member-level votes (9)
- Lackey: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Haney: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Schultz: yes
Do pass as amended.
2025-05-23 · pass · 11-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Calderon: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Hart: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Solache: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Fong: yes
- Ta: other
- Sanchez: other
- Dixon: other
- Tangipa: other
AB 237 Patel Assembly Third Reading
2025-06-03 · pass · 75-0
Member-level votes (79)
- Berman: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Gallagher: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Fong: yes
- Flora: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Haney: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Soria: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Chen: yes
- Papan: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Bains: yes
- Addis: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Ta: yes
- Solache: yes
- Ellis: yes
- Lee: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Patel: yes
- Ward: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Lackey: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Krell: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Davies: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- DeMaio: yes
- Hart: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: other
- McKinnor: other
- Kalra: other
- Bryan: other
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-07-01 · pass · 6-0
Member-level votes (6)
- Wiener: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Pérez: yes
Placed on suspense file
2025-08-18 · pass · 7-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Richardson: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Grayson: yes
Do pass
2025-08-29 · pass · 7-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Richardson: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
Official source
Attribution
Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z
Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:
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