Bill Commons

CA AB 788

vetoed

Prisons: facilities for female offenders.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

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Quick answers

Did CA AB 788 pass?

No. CA AB 788 passed the legislature but was vetoed. Latest recorded action (2026-09-27): Vetoed by Governor.

What is CA AB 788 about?

Existing law creates within the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, under the Undersecretary for Operations, the Division of Adult Institutions, among others, and requires each division to be headed by a director, who is appointed by the Governor, as specified. Existing law also requires the Governor to appoint 4 subordinate officers to the division, as specified. Existing law requires each subordinate officer appointed to oversee an identified category of adult institutions, one of which oversees female offender facilities. This bill would instead require the Governor to appoint 3 subordinate officers, as specified, who would oversee an identified category of male adult institutions, and one subordinate officer, as specified, who would oversee female adult institutions. The bill would create within the department, and under the Undersecretary for Operations, the Division of Female Programs and Services. The bill would require the director of this division to be responsible solely for female adult institutions and community facilities housing female offenders. The bill would require the director to report to the undersecretary and to have a minimum of 5 years of experience serving a female correctional population in a custody setting. The bill would also require this new division to manage and provide oversight of adult female programs, including prisons, conservation camps, and parole and community programs and to develop gender-responsive, trauma-informed, culturally sensitive approaches to program and policy development. Existing law requires the department to create a Female Offender Reform Master Plan and present it to the Legislature by a specified date. Existing law requires the department to, among other things, create policies and operational practices that are designed to ensure a safe and productive institutional environment for female offenders. This bill would require the department to establish the Gender Responsive Strategies Commission (GRSC) to develop active partnerships and to support successful implementation of gender responsive practices and rehabilitation programs for incarcerated individuals. The bill would require the department to provide a report to the Legislature on the implementation of the plan, and update statistics contained in the plan, by March 1, 2027, and every 3 years thereafter. The bill would require the department to maintain the plan, including subsequent updates and reports, in consultation with the GRSC and others, as specified. The bill would also require the department to post the plan, any reports, and any updates to the plan to the department's internet website. This bill would require the GRSC to be composed of 19 representatives, as specified, and would require the department, by June 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, to provide a written report to the Legislature on appointments to the GRSC and the department's response and progress toward implementing the GRSC's recommendations. Existing law also requires the department to contract with nationally recognized gender-responsive experts in prison operational practices, staffing, classification, substance abuse, trauma treatment services, mental health services, transitional services, and community corrections to, among other things, conduct a staffing analysis of all current job classifications assigned to each prison that houses only females, as specified, and develop programs and training for department staff in correctional facilities. This bill would require the department, through this contract, no later than March 1, 2027, and every 3 years thereafter, to prepare and submit to the Legislature an updated staffing analysis and would require a comprehensive review of the office's policies and practices and other aspects of women-centered corrections developed to enhance safety and rehabilitative efforts, as specified. The bill would also require the training program to include training at the academy and, for those working in a female prison, 40 hours of initial training with a curriculum specifically focused on working with the population within female institutions and an 8-hour annual training thereafter. Existing law requires the secretary of the department to expand the existing prison ombudsperson program to ensure the comprehensive deployment of ombudspersons throughout the state prison system with specific focus on the maximum security institutions. This bill would instead require the Undersecretary for Operations to perform this duty and would require the undersecretary to appoint an ombudsperson solely assigned to adult female institutions.

Who sponsors CA AB 788?

Quirk-Silva is the primary sponsor of CA AB 788, joined by 23 cosponsors.

Description

Existing law creates within the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, under the Undersecretary for Operations, the Division of Adult Institutions, among others, and requires each division to be headed by a director, who is appointed by the Governor, as specified. Existing law also requires the Governor to appoint 4 subordinate officers to the division, as specified. Existing law requires each subordinate officer appointed to oversee an identified category of adult institutions, one of which oversees female offender facilities. This bill would instead require the Governor to appoint 3 subordinate officers, as specified, who would oversee an identified category of male adult institutions, and one subordinate officer, as specified, who would oversee female adult institutions. The bill would create within the department, and under the Undersecretary for Operations, the Division of Female Programs and Services. The bill would require the director of this division to be responsible solely for female adult institutions and community facilities housing female offenders. The bill would require the director to report to the undersecretary and to have a minimum of 5 years of experience serving a female correctional population in a custody setting. The bill would also require this new division to manage and provide oversight of adult female programs, including prisons, conservation camps, and parole and community programs and to develop gender-responsive, trauma-informed, culturally sensitive approaches to program and policy development. Existing law requires the department to create a Female Offender Reform Master Plan and present it to the Legislature by a specified date. Existing law requires the department to, among other things, create policies and operational practices that are designed to ensure a safe and productive institutional environment for female offenders. This bill would require the department to establish the Gender Responsive Strategies Commission (GRSC) to develop active partnerships and to support successful implementation of gender responsive practices and rehabilitation programs for incarcerated individuals. The bill would require the department to provide a report to the Legislature on the implementation of the plan, and update statistics contained in the plan, by March 1, 2027, and every 3 years thereafter. The bill would require the department to maintain the plan, including subsequent updates and reports, in consultation with the GRSC and others, as specified. The bill would also require the department to post the plan, any reports, and any updates to the plan to the department's internet website. This bill would require the GRSC to be composed of 19 representatives, as specified, and would require the department, by June 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, to provide a written report to the Legislature on appointments to the GRSC and the department's response and progress toward implementing the GRSC's recommendations. Existing law also requires the department to contract with nationally recognized gender-responsive experts in prison operational practices, staffing, classification, substance abuse, trauma treatment services, mental health services, transitional services, and community corrections to, among other things, conduct a staffing analysis of all current job classifications assigned to each prison that houses only females, as specified, and develop programs and training for department staff in correctional facilities. This bill would require the department, through this contract, no later than March 1, 2027, and every 3 years thereafter, to prepare and submit to the Legislature an updated staffing analysis and would require a comprehensive review of the office's policies and practices and other aspects of women-centered corrections developed to enhance safety and rehabilitative efforts, as specified. The bill would also require the training program to include training at the academy and, for those working in a female prison, 40 hours of initial training with a curriculum specifically focused on working with the population within female institutions and an 8-hour annual training thereafter. Existing law requires the secretary of the department to expand the existing prison ombudsperson program to ensure the comprehensive deployment of ombudspersons throughout the state prison system with specific focus on the maximum security institutions. This bill would instead require the Undersecretary for Operations to perform this duty and would require the undersecretary to appoint an ombudsperson solely assigned to adult female institutions.

Introduced
2025-04-02
Latest action
2026-09-27 — Vetoed by Governor.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Quirk-Silvaauthor
  • Addiscoauthor
  • Aguiar-Currycoauthor
  • Ahrenscoauthor
  • Bontacoauthor
  • Elhawarycoauthor
  • Haneycoauthor
  • Kalracoauthor
  • Ortegacoauthor
  • Pellerincoauthor
  • Rogerscoauthor
  • Schiavocoauthor
  • Arreguíncoauthor
  • Beckercoauthor
  • Blakespearcoauthor
  • Durazocoauthor
  • Gonzalezcoauthor
  • Limóncoauthor
  • Pérezcoauthor
  • Richardsoncoauthor
  • Smallwood-Cuevascoauthor
  • Sterncoauthor
  • Wahabcoauthor
  • Weber Piersoncoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-09-27

    Vetoed by Governor.

    executive-veto

  2. 2026-09-09

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 1 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  3. 2026-08-30

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  4. 2026-08-30

    Ordered to special consent calendar.

  5. 2026-08-30

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling.

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  6. 2026-08-30

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  7. 2026-08-30

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 78. Noes 0.).

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  8. 2026-08-30

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 6929.).

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  9. 2026-08-24

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  10. 2026-08-20

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  11. 2026-08-13

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  12. 2026-08-13

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 13).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  13. 2025-08-29

    In committee: Held under submission.

  14. 2025-08-18

    In committee: Referred to suspense file.

    referral-committee

  15. 2025-07-08

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (July 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

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

  16. 2025-06-18

    Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  17. 2025-06-04

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

    reading-1,referral-committee

  18. 2025-06-03

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 77. Noes 1. Page 2008.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  19. 2025-05-27

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  20. 2025-05-23

    Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Ayes 51. Noes 16. Page 1644.)

  21. 2025-05-23

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (May 23).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage

  22. 2025-05-23

    Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  23. 2025-04-23

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

    referral-committee

  24. 2025-04-07

    Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    referral-committee

  25. 2025-04-03

    Read second time and amended.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  26. 2025-04-02

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (April 1).

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

  27. 2025-03-19

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

  28. 2025-03-03

    Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  29. 2025-02-19

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.

  30. 2025-02-18

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

Versions

  • 02/18/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-18Compare
  • 04/03/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-04-03Compare
  • 05/23/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-05-23Compare
  • 08/20/26 - Amended Senate — 2026-08-20Compare
  • 09/03/26 - Enrolled — 2026-09-03Compare
  • AB788Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass as amended, and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-04-01 · pass · 9-0

    Member-level votes (9)
    • Schultz: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Ramos: 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 788 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading

    2025-06-03 · pass · 77-1

    Member-level votes (79)
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • DeMaio: no
    • Tangipa: other
  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-07-08 · pass · 6-0

    Member-level votes (6)
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Wiener: 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

Related bills

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