SB 431: Assault and battery: utility workers.
- Session Year: 2025-2026
- House: Senate
- Latest Version Date: 2025-07-03
Current Status:
In Progress
(2025-08-29: August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.)
Introduced
In Committee
Awaiting First Chamber Vote
Passed First Chamber
In Committee
Awaiting Second Chamber Vote
Passed Second Chamber
Enacted
What does this bill do?
This bill makes assaults or batteries against utility workers who are performing their duties a punishable offense with increased penalties (up to a $2,000 fine and up to one year in county jail). It defines “utility worker” to include employees or contractors for water, electric, or gas companies or cooperatives who build, install, maintain, or repair that infrastructure.
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Existing law defines an assault as an unlawful attempt, coupled with present ability, to commit a violent injury upon the person of another. Existing law defines a battery as any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another. Under existing law, an assault or battery committed against specified professionals engaged in the performance of their duties, including peace officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel, is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
This bill would make an assault or battery committed against an employee of a public utility or other worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, a utility worker, as defined, who is engaged in the performance of their duties punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment. By expanding the scope of these crimes, this bill would impose 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law defines an assault as an unlawful attempt, coupled with present ability, to commit a violent injury upon the person of another. Existing law defines a battery as any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another. Under existing law, an assault or battery committed against specified professionals engaged in the performance of their duties, including peace officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel, is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
This bill would make an assault or battery committed against an employee of a public utility or a other worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, as defined, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment. By expanding the scope of these crimes, this bill would impose 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law defines an assault as an unlawful attempt, coupled with present ability, to commit a violent injury upon the person of another. Existing law defines a battery as any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another. Under existing law, an assault or battery committed against specified professionals engaged in the performance of their duties, including peace officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel, is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
This bill would make an assault or battery committed against an employee of a public utility, utility or a worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, as defined, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment. By expanding the scope of these crimes, this bill would impose 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law defines an assault as an unlawful attempt, coupled with present ability, to commit a violent injury upon the person of another. Existing law defines a battery as any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another. Under existing law, an assault or battery committed against specified professionals engaged in the performance of their duties, including peace officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel, is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
This bill would make an assault or battery committed against an employee of a public utility, as defined, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment. By expanding the scope of these crimes, this bill would impose 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
(a)An assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(b)When an assault is committed against the person of a parking control officer engaged in the performance of their duties, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a parking control officer, the assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(c)When an assault is committed against the person of a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member member, or utility worker engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, or a public utility employee or other worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member member, or utility worker engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, or a public utility employee or other worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, the assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(d)As used in this section, the following definitions apply:
(1)Peace officer means any person defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2.
(2)Emergency medical technician means a person who is either an EMT-I, EMT-II, or EMT-P (paramedic), and possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Division 2.5 (commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
(3)Nurse means a person who possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2700) or 6.5 (commencing with Section 2840) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code or a nurse of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department.
(4)Lifeguard means a person who is:
(A)Employed as a lifeguard by the state, a county, or a city, and is designated by local ordinance as a public officer who has a duty and responsibility to enforce local ordinances and misdemeanors through the issuance of citations.
(B)Wearing distinctive clothing that includes written identification of the persons status as a lifeguard and that clearly identifies the employing organization.
(5)Process server means any person who meets the standards or is expressly exempt from the standards set forth in Section 22350 of the Business and Professions Code.
(6)Traffic officer means any person employed by a county or city to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating to parking and the operation of vehicles.
(7)Animal control officer means any person employed by a county or city for purposes of enforcing animal control laws or regulations.
(8)(A)Code enforcement officer means any person who is not described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 and who is employed by any governmental subdivision, public or quasi-public corporation, public agency, public service corporation, any town, city, county, or municipal corporation, whether incorporated or chartered, that has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements, and whose duties include enforcement of any statute, rules, regulations, or standards, and who is authorized to issue citations, or file formal complaints.
(B)Code enforcement officer also includes any person who is employed by the Department of Housing and Community Development who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements pursuant to the Employee Housing Act (Part 1 (commencing with Section 17000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the State Housing Law (Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Manufactured Housing Act of 1980 (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Mobilehome Parks Act (Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); and the Special Occupancy Parks Act (Part 2.3 (commencing with Section 18860) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code).
(9)Parking control officer means any person employed by a city, county, or city and county, to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating to parking.
(10)Search and rescue member means any person who is part of an organized search and rescue team managed by a governmental agency.
(11)Health care worker means a person who, in the course and scope of employment, performs duties directly associated with the care and treatment rendered by the hospitals emergency department or the departments security.
(12)Public utility employee means any person employed by a public utility, as defined in Section 216 of the Public Utilities Code, including contract workers, employees of a utility contractor, or employees of a corporate parent entity.(13)Essential infrastructure work means construction, maintenance, repair, or operation of critical facilities and services related to electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunications, public transportation, roads, bridges, or waste management.(12)Utility worker means a person employed by, or who is a contractor to, an investor-owned or publicly owned water corporation, electrical corporation, gas corporation, or electric cooperative that performs services for or delivers a commodity to the public or any portion thereof and the service performed is the construction, alteration, demolition, installation, maintenance, or repair of water, electrical, or gas infrastructure.
SEC. 2.Section 243 of the Penal Code is amended to read:243.(a)A battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(b)When a battery is committed against the person of a peace officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, security officer, custody assistant, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member member, or utility worker engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties required of them as a peace officer while also employed in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or patrolman, or a nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, or a public utility employee or other worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, security officer, custody assistant, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member member, or utility worker engaged in the performance of their duties, nonsworn employee of a probation department, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, or a public utility employee or other worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, the battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(c)(1)When a battery is committed against a custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, or animal control officer engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a nonsworn employee of a probation department, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, or animal control officer engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, and an injury is inflicted on that victim, the battery is punishable by a fine of not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000), by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment, or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for 16 months, or two or three years.
(2)When the battery specified in paragraph (1) is committed against a peace officer engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties required of them as a peace officer while also employed in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or patrolman and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer engaged in the performance of their duties, the battery is punishable by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for 16 months, or two or three years, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(d)When a battery is committed against any person and serious bodily injury is inflicted on the person, the battery is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for two, three, or four years.
(e)(1)When a battery is committed against a spouse, a person with whom the defendant is cohabiting, a person who is the parent of the defendants child, former spouse, fiance, or fiancee, or a person with whom the defendant currently has, or has previously had, a dating or engagement relationship, the battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail for a period of not more than one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. If probation is granted, or the execution or imposition of the sentence is suspended, it shall be a condition thereof that the defendant participate in, for no less than one year, and successfully complete, a batterers treatment program, as described in Section 1203.097, or if none is available, another appropriate counseling program designated by the court. However, this provision shall not be construed as requiring a city, a county, or a city and county to provide a new program or higher level of service as contemplated by Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.
(2)Upon conviction of a violation of this subdivision, if probation is granted, the conditions of probation may include, in lieu of a fine, one or both of the following requirements:
(A)That the defendant make payments to a domestic violence shelter-based program, up to a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(B)That the defendant reimburse the victim for reasonable costs of counseling and other reasonable expenses that the court finds are the direct result of the defendants offense.
For any order to pay a fine, make payments to a domestic violence shelter-based program, or pay restitution as a condition of probation under this subdivision, the court shall make a determination of the defendants ability to pay. In no event shall any order to make payments to a domestic violence shelter-based program be made if it would impair the ability of the defendant to pay direct restitution to the victim or court-ordered child support. If the injury to a married person is caused in whole or in part by the criminal acts of their spouse in violation of this section, the community property shall not be used to discharge the liability of the offending spouse for restitution to the injured spouse, required by Section 1203.04, as operative on or before August 2, 1995, or Section 1202.4, or to a shelter for costs with regard to the injured spouse and dependents, required by this section, until all separate property of the offending spouse is exhausted.
(3)Upon conviction of a violation of this subdivision, if probation is granted or the execution or imposition of the sentence is suspended and the person has been previously convicted of a violation of this subdivision or Section 273.5, the person shall be imprisoned for not less than 48 hours in addition to the conditions in paragraph (1). However, the court, upon a showing of good cause, may elect not to impose the mandatory minimum imprisonment as required by this subdivision and may, under these circumstances, grant probation or order the suspension of the execution or imposition of the sentence.
(4)The Legislature finds and declares that these specified crimes merit special consideration when imposing a sentence so as to display societys condemnation for these crimes of violence upon victims with whom a close relationship has been formed.
(5)If a peace officer makes an arrest for a violation of paragraph (1) of subdivision (e) of this section, the peace officer is not required to inform the victim of their right to make a citizens arrest pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 836.
(f)As used in this section:
(1)Peace officer means any person defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2.
(2)Emergency medical technician means a person who is either an EMT-I, EMT-II, or EMT-P (paramedic), and possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Division 2.5 (commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
(3)Nurse means a person who possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2700) or 6.5 (commencing with Section 2840) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code or a nurse of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department.
(4)Serious bodily injury means a serious impairment of physical condition, including, but not limited to, the following: loss of consciousness; concussion; bone fracture; protracted loss or impairment of function of any bodily member or organ; a wound requiring extensive suturing; and serious disfigurement.
(5)Injury means any physical injury that requires professional medical treatment.
(6)Custodial officer means any person who has the responsibilities and duties described in Section 831 and who is employed by a law enforcement agency of any city or county or who performs those duties as a volunteer.
(7)Lifeguard means a person defined in paragraph (4) of subdivision (d) of Section 241.
(8)Traffic officer means any person employed by a city, county, or city and county to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating to parking and the operation of vehicles.
(9)Animal control officer means any person employed by a city, county, or city and county for purposes of enforcing animal control laws or regulations.
(10)Dating relationship means frequent, intimate associations primarily characterized by the expectation of affectional or sexual involvement independent of financial considerations.
(11)(A)Code enforcement officer means any person who is not described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 and who is employed by any governmental subdivision, public or quasi-public corporation, public agency, public service corporation, any town, city, county, or municipal corporation, whether incorporated or chartered, who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements, and whose duties include enforcement of any statute, rules, regulations, or standards, and who is authorized to issue citations, or file formal complaints.
(B)Code enforcement officer also includes any person who is employed by the Department of Housing and Community Development who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements pursuant to the Employee Housing Act (Part 1 (commencing with Section 17000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the State Housing Law (Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Manufactured Housing Act of 1980 (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Mobilehome Parks Act (Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); and the Special Occupancy Parks Act (Part 2.3 (commencing with Section 18860) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code).
(12)Custody assistant means any person who has the responsibilities and duties described in Section 831.7 and who is employed by a law enforcement agency of any city, county, or city and county.
(13)Search and rescue member means any person who is part of an organized search and rescue team managed by a government agency.
(14)Security officer means any person who has the responsibilities and duties described in Section 831.4 and who is employed by a law enforcement agency of any city, county, or city and county.
(15)Health care worker means a person who, in the course and scope of employment, performs duties directly associated with the care and treatment rendered by the hospitals emergency department or the departments security.
(16)Public utility employee means any person employed by a public utility, as defined in Section 216 of the Public Utilities Code, including contract workers, employees of a utility contractor, or employees of a corporate parent entity.(17)Essential infrastructure work means construction, maintenance, repair, or operation of critical facilities and services related to electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunications, public transportation, roads, bridges, or waste management.(16)Utility worker means a person employed by, or who is a contractor to, an investor-owned or publicly owned water corporation, electrical corporation, gas corporation, or electric cooperative that performs services for or delivers a commodity to the public or any portion thereof and the service performed is the construction, alteration, demolition, installation, maintenance, or repair of water, electrical, or gas infrastructure.
(g)It is the intent of the Legislature by amendments to this section at the 198182 and 198384 Regular Sessions to abrogate the holdings in cases such as People v. Corey, 21 Cal. 3d 738, and Cervantez v. J.C. Penney Co., 24 Cal. 3d 579, and to reinstate prior judicial interpretations of this section as they relate to criminal sanctions for battery on peace officers who are employed, on a part-time or casual basis, while wearing a police uniform as private security guards or patrolmen and to allow the exercise of peace officer powers concurrently with that employment.
SEC. 3.No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.
CORRECTIONS: HeadingLine 2.(a)An assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(b)When an assault is committed against the person of a parking control officer engaged in the performance of their duties, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a parking control officer, the assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(c)When an assault is committed against the person of a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, a public utility employee, or a or a public utility employee or other worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, a public utility employee, or a or a public utility employee or other worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, the assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(d)As used in this section, the following definitions apply:
(1)Peace officer means any person defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2.
(2)Emergency medical technician means a person who is either an EMT-I, EMT-II, or EMT-P (paramedic), and possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Division 2.5 (commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
(3)Nurse means a person who possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2700) or 6.5 (commencing with Section 2840) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code or a nurse of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department.
(4)Lifeguard means a person who is:
(A)Employed as a lifeguard by the state, a county, or a city, and is designated by local ordinance as a public officer who has a duty and responsibility to enforce local ordinances and misdemeanors through the issuance of citations.
(B)Wearing distinctive clothing that includes written identification of the persons status as a lifeguard and that clearly identifies the employing organization.
(5)Process server means any person who meets the standards or is expressly exempt from the standards set forth in Section 22350 of the Business and Professions Code.
(6)Traffic officer means any person employed by a county or city to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating to parking and the operation of vehicles.
(7)Animal control officer means any person employed by a county or city for purposes of enforcing animal control laws or regulations.
(8)(A)Code enforcement officer means any person who is not described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 and who is employed by any governmental subdivision, public or quasi-public corporation, public agency, public service corporation, any town, city, county, or municipal corporation, whether incorporated or chartered, that has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements, and whose duties include enforcement of any statute, rules, regulations, or standards, and who is authorized to issue citations, or file formal complaints.
(B)Code enforcement officer also includes any person who is employed by the Department of Housing and Community Development who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements pursuant to the Employee Housing Act (Part 1 (commencing with Section 17000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the State Housing Law (Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Manufactured Housing Act of 1980 (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Mobilehome Parks Act (Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); and the Special Occupancy Parks Act (Part 2.3 (commencing with Section 18860) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code).
(9)Parking control officer means any person employed by a city, county, or city and county, to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating to parking.
(10)Search and rescue member means any person who is part of an organized search and rescue team managed by a governmental agency.
(11)Health care worker means a person who, in the course and scope of employment, performs duties directly associated with the care and treatment rendered by the hospitals emergency department or the departments security.
(12)Public utility employee means any person employed by a public utility, as defined in Section 216 of the Public Utilities Code, including contract workers, employees of a utility contractor, or employees of a corporate parent entity.
(13)Essential infrastructure work means construction, maintenance, repair, or operation of critical facilities and services related to electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunications, public transportation, roads, bridges, or waste management.
SEC. 2.Section 243 of the Penal Code is amended to read:243.(a)A battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(b)When a battery is committed against the person of a peace officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, security officer, custody assistant, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties required of them as a peace officer while also employed in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or patrolman, or a nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, a public utility employee, or a or a public utility employee or other worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, security officer, custody assistant, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, nonsworn employee of a probation department, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, a public utility employee, or a or a public utility employee or other worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, the battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(c)(1)When a battery is committed against a custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, or animal control officer engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a nonsworn employee of a probation department, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, or animal control officer engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, and an injury is inflicted on that victim, the battery is punishable by a fine of not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000), by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment, or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for 16 months, or two or three years.
(2)When the battery specified in paragraph (1) is committed against a peace officer engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties required of them as a peace officer while also employed in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or patrolman and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer engaged in the performance of their duties, the battery is punishable by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for 16 months, or two or three years, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(d)When a battery is committed against any person and serious bodily injury is inflicted on the person, the battery is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for two, three, or four years.
(e)(1)When a battery is committed against a spouse, a person with whom the defendant is cohabiting, a person who is the parent of the defendants child, former spouse, fiance, or fiancee, or a person with whom the defendant currently has, or has previously had, a dating or engagement relationship, the battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail for a period of not more than one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. If probation is granted, or the execution or imposition of the sentence is suspended, it shall be a condition thereof that the defendant participate in, for no less than one year, and successfully complete, a batterers treatment program, as described in Section 1203.097, or if none is available, another appropriate counseling program designated by the court. However, this provision shall not be construed as requiring a city, a county, or a city and county to provide a new program or higher level of service as contemplated by Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.
(2)Upon conviction of a violation of this subdivision, if probation is granted, the conditions of probation may include, in lieu of a fine, one or both of the following requirements:
(A)That the defendant make payments to a domestic violence shelter-based program, up to a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(B)That the defendant reimburse the victim for reasonable costs of counseling and other reasonable expenses that the court finds are the direct result of the defendants offense.
For any order to pay a fine, make payments to a domestic violence shelter-based program, or pay restitution as a condition of probation under this subdivision, the court shall make a determination of the defendants ability to pay. In no event shall any order to make payments to a domestic violence shelter-based program be made if it would impair the ability of the defendant to pay direct restitution to the victim or court-ordered child support. If the injury to a married person is caused in whole or in part by the criminal acts of their spouse in violation of this section, the community property shall not be used to discharge the liability of the offending spouse for restitution to the injured spouse, required by Section 1203.04, as operative on or before August 2, 1995, or Section 1202.4, or to a shelter for costs with regard to the injured spouse and dependents, required by this section, until all separate property of the offending spouse is exhausted.
(3)Upon conviction of a violation of this subdivision, if probation is granted or the execution or imposition of the sentence is suspended and the person has been previously convicted of a violation of this subdivision or Section 273.5, the person shall be imprisoned for not less than 48 hours in addition to the conditions in paragraph (1). However, the court, upon a showing of good cause, may elect not to impose the mandatory minimum imprisonment as required by this subdivision and may, under these circumstances, grant probation or order the suspension of the execution or imposition of the sentence.
(4)The Legislature finds and declares that these specified crimes merit special consideration when imposing a sentence so as to display societys condemnation for these crimes of violence upon victims with whom a close relationship has been formed.
(5)If a peace officer makes an arrest for a violation of paragraph (1) of subdivision (e) of this section, the peace officer is not required to inform the victim of their right to make a citizens arrest pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 836.
(f)As used in this section:
(1)Peace officer means any person defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2.
(2)Emergency medical technician means a person who is either an EMT-I, EMT-II, or EMT-P (paramedic), and possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Division 2.5 (commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
(3)Nurse means a person who possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2700) or 6.5 (commencing with Section 2840) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code or a nurse of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department.
(4)Serious bodily injury means a serious impairment of physical condition, including, but not limited to, the following: loss of consciousness; concussion; bone fracture; protracted loss or impairment of function of any bodily member or organ; a wound requiring extensive suturing; and serious disfigurement.
(5)Injury means any physical injury that requires professional medical treatment.
(6)Custodial officer means any person who has the responsibilities and duties described in Section 831 and who is employed by a law enforcement agency of any city or county or who performs those duties as a volunteer.
(7)Lifeguard means a person defined in paragraph (4) of subdivision (d) of Section 241.
(8)Traffic officer means any person employed by a city, county, or city and county to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating to parking and the operation of vehicles.
(9)Animal control officer means any person employed by a city, county, or city and county for purposes of enforcing animal control laws or regulations.
(10)Dating relationship means frequent, intimate associations primarily characterized by the expectation of affectional or sexual involvement independent of financial considerations.
(11)(A)Code enforcement officer means any person who is not described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 and who is employed by any governmental subdivision, public or quasi-public corporation, public agency, public service corporation, any town, city, county, or municipal corporation, whether incorporated or chartered, who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements, and whose duties include enforcement of any statute, rules, regulations, or standards, and who is authorized to issue citations, or file formal complaints.
(B)Code enforcement officer also includes any person who is employed by the Department of Housing and Community Development who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements pursuant to the Employee Housing Act (Part 1 (commencing with Section 17000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the State Housing Law (Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Manufactured Housing Act of 1980 (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Mobilehome Parks Act (Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); and the Special Occupancy Parks Act (Part 2.3 (commencing with Section 18860) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code).
(12)Custody assistant means any person who has the responsibilities and duties described in Section 831.7 and who is employed by a law enforcement agency of any city, county, or city and county.
(13)Search and rescue member means any person who is part of an organized search and rescue team managed by a government agency.
(14)Security officer means any person who has the responsibilities and duties described in Section 831.4 and who is employed by a law enforcement agency of any city, county, or city and county.
(15)Health care worker means a person who, in the course and scope of employment, performs duties directly associated with the care and treatment rendered by the hospitals emergency department or the departments security.
(16)Public utility employee means any person employed by a public utility, as defined in Section 216 of the Public Utilities Code, including contract workers, employees of a utility contractor, or employees of a corporate parent entity.
(17)Essential infrastructure work means construction, maintenance, repair, or operation of critical facilities and services related to electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunications, public transportation, roads, bridges, or waste management.
(g)It is the intent of the Legislature by amendments to this section at the 198182 and 198384 Regular Sessions to abrogate the holdings in cases such as People v. Corey, 21 Cal. 3d 738, and Cervantez v. J.C. Penney Co., 24 Cal. 3d 579, and to reinstate prior judicial interpretations of this section as they relate to criminal sanctions for battery on peace officers who are employed, on a part-time or casual basis, while wearing a police uniform as private security guards or patrolmen and to allow the exercise of peace officer powers concurrently with that employment.
SEC. 3.No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.
(a)An assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(b)When an assault is committed against the person of a parking control officer engaged in the performance of their duties, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a parking control officer, the assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(c)When an assault is committed against the person of a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, or a public utility employee, or a worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, or a public utility employee, or a worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, the assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(d)As used in this section, the following definitions apply:
(1)Peace officer means any person defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2.
(2)Emergency medical technician means a person who is either an EMT-I, EMT-II, or EMT-P (paramedic), and possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Division 2.5 (commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
(3)Nurse means a person who possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2700) or 6.5 (commencing with Section 2840) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code or a nurse of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department.
(4)Lifeguard means a person who is:
(A)Employed as a lifeguard by the state, a county, or a city, and is designated by local ordinance as a public officer who has a duty and responsibility to enforce local ordinances and misdemeanors through the issuance of citations.
(B)Wearing distinctive clothing that includes written identification of the persons status as a lifeguard and that clearly identifies the employing organization.
(5)Process server means any person who meets the standards or is expressly exempt from the standards set forth in Section 22350 of the Business and Professions Code.
(6)Traffic officer means any person employed by a county or city to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating to parking and the operation of vehicles.
(7)Animal control officer means any person employed by a county or city for purposes of enforcing animal control laws or regulations.
(8)(A)Code enforcement officer means any person who is not described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 and who is employed by any governmental subdivision, public or quasi-public corporation, public agency, public service corporation, any town, city, county, or municipal corporation, whether incorporated or chartered, that has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements, and whose duties include enforcement of any statute, rules, regulations, or standards, and who is authorized to issue citations, or file formal complaints.
(B)Code enforcement officer also includes any person who is employed by the Department of Housing and Community Development who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements pursuant to the Employee Housing Act (Part 1 (commencing with Section 17000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the State Housing Law (Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Manufactured Housing Act of 1980 (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Mobilehome Parks Act (Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); and the Special Occupancy Parks Act (Part 2.3 (commencing with Section 18860) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code).
(9)Parking control officer means any person employed by a city, county, or city and county, to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating to parking.
(10)Search and rescue member means any person who is part of an organized search and rescue team managed by a governmental agency.
(11)Health care worker means a person who, in the course and scope of employment, performs duties directly associated with the care and treatment rendered by the hospitals emergency department or the departments security.
(12)Public utility employee means any person employed by a public utility, as defined in Section 216 of the Public Utilities Code, including contract workers workers, employees of a utility contractor, or employees of a corporate parent entity.
(13)Essential infrastructure work means construction, maintenance, repair, or operation of critical facilities and services related to electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunications, public transportation, roads, bridges, or waste management.
SEC. 2.Section 243 of the Penal Code is amended to read:243.(a)A battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(b)When a battery is committed against the person of a peace officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, security officer, custody assistant, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties required of them as a peace officer while also employed in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or patrolman, or a nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, or a public utility employee, or a worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, security officer, custody assistant, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, nonsworn employee of a probation department, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, or a public utility employee, or a worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, the battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(c)(1)When a battery is committed against a custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, or animal control officer engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a nonsworn employee of a probation department, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, or animal control officer engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, and an injury is inflicted on that victim, the battery is punishable by a fine of not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000), by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment, or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for 16 months, or two or three years.
(2)When the battery specified in paragraph (1) is committed against a peace officer engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties required of them as a peace officer while also employed in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or patrolman and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer engaged in the performance of their duties, the battery is punishable by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for 16 months, or two or three years, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(d)When a battery is committed against any person and serious bodily injury is inflicted on the person, the battery is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for two, three, or four years.
(e)(1)When a battery is committed against a spouse, a person with whom the defendant is cohabiting, a person who is the parent of the defendants child, former spouse, fiance, or fiancee, or a person with whom the defendant currently has, or has previously had, a dating or engagement relationship, the battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail for a period of not more than one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. If probation is granted, or the execution or imposition of the sentence is suspended, it shall be a condition thereof that the defendant participate in, for no less than one year, and successfully complete, a batterers treatment program, as described in Section 1203.097, or if none is available, another appropriate counseling program designated by the court. However, this provision shall not be construed as requiring a city, a county, or a city and county to provide a new program or higher level of service as contemplated by Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.
(2)Upon conviction of a violation of this subdivision, if probation is granted, the conditions of probation may include, in lieu of a fine, one or both of the following requirements:
(A)That the defendant make payments to a domestic violence shelter-based program, up to a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(B)That the defendant reimburse the victim for reasonable costs of counseling and other reasonable expenses that the court finds are the direct result of the defendants offense.
For any order to pay a fine, make payments to a domestic violence shelter-based program, or pay restitution as a condition of probation under this subdivision, the court shall make a determination of the defendants ability to pay. In no event shall any order to make payments to a domestic violence shelter-based program be made if it would impair the ability of the defendant to pay direct restitution to the victim or court-ordered child support. If the injury to a married person is caused in whole or in part by the criminal acts of their spouse in violation of this section, the community property shall not be used to discharge the liability of the offending spouse for restitution to the injured spouse, required by Section 1203.04, as operative on or before August 2, 1995, or Section 1202.4, or to a shelter for costs with regard to the injured spouse and dependents, required by this section, until all separate property of the offending spouse is exhausted.
(3)Upon conviction of a violation of this subdivision, if probation is granted or the execution or imposition of the sentence is suspended and the person has been previously convicted of a violation of this subdivision or Section 273.5, the person shall be imprisoned for not less than 48 hours in addition to the conditions in paragraph (1). However, the court, upon a showing of good cause, may elect not to impose the mandatory minimum imprisonment as required by this subdivision and may, under these circumstances, grant probation or order the suspension of the execution or imposition of the sentence.
(4)The Legislature finds and declares that these specified crimes merit special consideration when imposing a sentence so as to display societys condemnation for these crimes of violence upon victims with whom a close relationship has been formed.
(5)If a peace officer makes an arrest for a violation of paragraph (1) of subdivision (e) of this section, the peace officer is not required to inform the victim of their right to make a citizens arrest pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 836.
(f)As used in this section:
(1)Peace officer means any person defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2.
(2)Emergency medical technician means a person who is either an EMT-I, EMT-II, or EMT-P (paramedic), and possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Division 2.5 (commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
(3)Nurse means a person who possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2700) or 6.5 (commencing with Section 2840) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code or a nurse of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department.
(4)Serious bodily injury means a serious impairment of physical condition, including, but not limited to, the following: loss of consciousness; concussion; bone fracture; protracted loss or impairment of function of any bodily member or organ; a wound requiring extensive suturing; and serious disfigurement.
(5)Injury means any physical injury that requires professional medical treatment.
(6)Custodial officer means any person who has the responsibilities and duties described in Section 831 and who is employed by a law enforcement agency of any city or county or who performs those duties as a volunteer.
(7)Lifeguard means a person defined in paragraph (4) of subdivision (d) of Section 241.
(8)Traffic officer means any person employed by a city, county, or city and county to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating to parking and the operation of vehicles.
(9)Animal control officer means any person employed by a city, county, or city and county for purposes of enforcing animal control laws or regulations.
(10)Dating relationship means frequent, intimate associations primarily characterized by the expectation of affectional or sexual involvement independent of financial considerations.
(11)(A)Code enforcement officer means any person who is not described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 and who is employed by any governmental subdivision, public or quasi-public corporation, public agency, public service corporation, any town, city, county, or municipal corporation, whether incorporated or chartered, who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements, and whose duties include enforcement of any statute, rules, regulations, or standards, and who is authorized to issue citations, or file formal complaints.
(B)Code enforcement officer also includes any person who is employed by the Department of Housing and Community Development who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements pursuant to the Employee Housing Act (Part 1 (commencing with Section 17000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the State Housing Law (Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Manufactured Housing Act of 1980 (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Mobilehome Parks Act (Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); and the Special Occupancy Parks Act (Part 2.3 (commencing with Section 18860) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code).
(12)Custody assistant means any person who has the responsibilities and duties described in Section 831.7 and who is employed by a law enforcement agency of any city, county, or city and county.
(13)Search and rescue member means any person who is part of an organized search and rescue team managed by a government agency.
(14)Security officer means any person who has the responsibilities and duties described in Section 831.4 and who is employed by a law enforcement agency of any city, county, or city and county.
(15)Health care worker means a person who, in the course and scope of employment, performs duties directly associated with the care and treatment rendered by the hospitals emergency department or the departments security.
(16)Public utility employee means any person employed by a public utility, as defined in Section 216 of the Public Utilities Code, including contract workers workers, employees of a utility contractor, or employees of a corporate parent entity.
(17)Essential infrastructure work means construction, maintenance, repair, or operation of critical facilities and services related to electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunications, public transportation, roads, bridges, or waste management.
(g)It is the intent of the Legislature by amendments to this section at the 198182 and 198384 Regular Sessions to abrogate the holdings in cases such as People v. Corey, 21 Cal. 3d 738, and Cervantez v. J.C. Penney Co., 24 Cal. 3d 579, and to reinstate prior judicial interpretations of this section as they relate to criminal sanctions for battery on peace officers who are employed, on a part-time or casual basis, while wearing a police uniform as private security guards or patrolmen and to allow the exercise of peace officer powers concurrently with that employment.
SEC. 3.No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.
(a)An assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(b)When an assault is committed against the person of a parking control officer engaged in the performance of their duties, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a parking control officer, the assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(c)When an assault is committed against the person of a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, or a public utility employee, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, or a public utility employee, the assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(d)As used in this section, the following definitions apply:
(1)Peace officer means any person defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2.
(2)Emergency medical technician means a person who is either an EMT-I, EMT-II, or EMT-P (paramedic), and possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Division 2.5 (commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
(3)Nurse means a person who possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2700) or 6.5 (commencing with Section 2840) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code or a nurse of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department.
(4)Lifeguard means a person who is:
(A)Employed as a lifeguard by the state, a county, or a city, and is designated by local ordinance as a public officer who has a duty and responsibility to enforce local ordinances and misdemeanors through the issuance of citations.
(B)Wearing distinctive clothing which that includes written identification of the persons status as a lifeguard and which that clearly identifies the employing organization.
(5)Process server means any person who meets the standards or is expressly exempt from the standards set forth in Section 22350 of the Business and Professions Code.
(6)Traffic officer means any person employed by a county or city to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating to parking and the operation of vehicles.
(7)Animal control officer means any person employed by a county or city for purposes of enforcing animal control laws or regulations.
(8)(A)Code enforcement officer means any person who is not described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 and who is employed by any governmental subdivision, public or quasi-public corporation, public agency, public service corporation, any town, city, county, or municipal corporation, whether incorporated or chartered, that has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements, and whose duties include enforcement of any statute, rules, regulations, or standards, and who is authorized to issue citations, or file formal complaints.
(B)Code enforcement officer also includes any person who is employed by the Department of Housing and Community Development who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements pursuant to the Employee Housing Act (Part 1 (commencing with Section 17000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the State Housing Law (Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Manufactured Housing Act of 1980 (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Mobilehome Parks Act (Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); and the Special Occupancy Parks Act (Part 2.3 (commencing with Section 18860) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code).
(9)Parking control officer means any person employed by a city, county, or city and county, to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating to parking.
(10)Search and rescue member means any person who is part of an organized search and rescue team managed by a governmental agency.
(11)Health care worker means a person who, in the course and scope of employment, performs duties directly associated with the care and treatment rendered by the hospitals emergency department or the departments security.
(12)Public utility employee means any person employed by a public utility, as defined in Section 216 of the Public Utilities Code, including contract workers or employees of a corporate parent entity.
SEC. 2.Section 243 of the Penal Code is amended to read:243.(a)A battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(b)When a battery is committed against the person of a peace officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, security officer, custody assistant, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties required of them as a peace officer while also employed in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or patrolman, or a nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, or a public utility employee, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, security officer, custody assistant, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, nonsworn employee of a probation department, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, or a public utility employee, the battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(c)(1)When a battery is committed against a custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, or animal control officer engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a nonsworn employee of a probation department, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, or animal control officer engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, and an injury is inflicted on that victim, the battery is punishable by a fine of not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000), by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment, or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for 16 months, or two or three years.
(2)When the battery specified in paragraph (1) is committed against a peace officer engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties required of them as a peace officer while also employed in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or patrolman and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer engaged in the performance of their duties, the battery is punishable by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for 16 months, or two or three years, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(d)When a battery is committed against any person and serious bodily injury is inflicted on the person, the battery is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for two, three, or four years.
(e)(1)When a battery is committed against a spouse, a person with whom the defendant is cohabiting, a person who is the parent of the defendants child, former spouse, fiance, or fiancee, or a person with whom the defendant currently has, or has previously had, a dating or engagement relationship, the battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail for a period of not more than one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. If probation is granted, or the execution or imposition of the sentence is suspended, it shall be a condition thereof that the defendant participate in, for no less than one year, and successfully complete, a batterers treatment program, as described in Section 1203.097, or if none is available, another appropriate counseling program designated by the court. However, this provision shall not be construed as requiring a city, a county, or a city and county to provide a new program or higher level of service as contemplated by Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.
(2)Upon conviction of a violation of this subdivision, if probation is granted, the conditions of probation may include, in lieu of a fine, one or both of the following requirements:
(A)That the defendant make payments to a domestic violence shelter-based program, up to a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(B)That the defendant reimburse the victim for reasonable costs of counseling and other reasonable expenses that the court finds are the direct result of the defendants offense.
For any order to pay a fine, make payments to a domestic violence shelter-based program, or pay restitution as a condition of probation under this subdivision, the court shall make a determination of the defendants ability to pay. In no event shall any order to make payments to a domestic violence shelter-based program be made if it would impair the ability of the defendant to pay direct restitution to the victim or court-ordered child support. If the injury to a married person is caused in whole or in part by the criminal acts of their spouse in violation of this section, the community property shall not be used to discharge the liability of the offending spouse for restitution to the injured spouse, required by Section 1203.04, as operative on or before August 2, 1995, or Section 1202.4, or to a shelter for costs with regard to the injured spouse and dependents, required by this section, until all separate property of the offending spouse is exhausted.
(3)Upon conviction of a violation of this subdivision, if probation is granted or the execution or imposition of the sentence is suspended and the person has been previously convicted of a violation of this subdivision or Section 273.5, the person shall be imprisoned for not less than 48 hours in addition to the conditions in paragraph (1). However, the court, upon a showing of good cause, may elect not to impose the mandatory minimum imprisonment as required by this subdivision and may, under these circumstances, grant probation or order the suspension of the execution or imposition of the sentence.
(4)The Legislature finds and declares that these specified crimes merit special consideration when imposing a sentence so as to display societys condemnation for these crimes of violence upon victims with whom a close relationship has been formed.
(5)If a peace officer makes an arrest for a violation of paragraph (1) of subdivision (e) of this section, the peace officer is not required to inform the victim of their right to make a citizens arrest pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 836.
(f)As used in this section:
(1)Peace officer means any person defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2.
(2)Emergency medical technician means a person who is either an EMT-I, EMT-II, or EMT-P (paramedic), and possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Division 2.5 (commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
(3)Nurse means a person who possesses a valid certificate or license under the standards of Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2700) or 6.5 (commencing with Section 2840) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code or a nurse of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department.
(4)Serious bodily injury means a serious impairment of physical condition, including, but not limited to, the following: loss of consciousness; concussion; bone fracture; protracted loss or impairment of function of any bodily member or organ; a wound requiring extensive suturing; and serious disfigurement.
(5)Injury means any physical injury which that requires professional medical treatment.
(6)Custodial officer means any person who has the responsibilities and duties described in Section 831 and who is employed by a law enforcement agency of any city or county or who performs those duties as a volunteer.
(7)Lifeguard means a person defined in paragraph (5) (4) of subdivision (d) of Section 241.
(8)Traffic officer means any person employed by a city, county, or city and county to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating to parking and the operation of vehicles.
(9)Animal control officer means any person employed by a city, county, or city and county for purposes of enforcing animal control laws or regulations.
(10)Dating relationship means frequent, intimate associations primarily characterized by the expectation of affectional or sexual involvement independent of financial considerations.
(11)(A)Code enforcement officer means any person who is not described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 and who is employed by any governmental subdivision, public or quasi-public corporation, public agency, public service corporation, any town, city, county, or municipal corporation, whether incorporated or chartered, who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements, and whose duties include enforcement of any statute, rules, regulations, or standards, and who is authorized to issue citations, or file formal complaints.
(B)Code enforcement officer also includes any person who is employed by the Department of Housing and Community Development who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements pursuant to the Employee Housing Act (Part 1 (commencing with Section 17000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the State Housing Law (Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Manufactured Housing Act of 1980 (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Mobilehome Parks Act (Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); and the Special Occupancy Parks Act (Part 2.3 (commencing with Section 18860) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code).
(12)Custody assistant means any person who has the responsibilities and duties described in Section 831.7 and who is employed by a law enforcement agency of any city, county, or city and county.
(13)Search and rescue member means any person who is part of an organized search and rescue team managed by a government agency.
(14)Security officer means any person who has the responsibilities and duties described in Section 831.4 and who is employed by a law enforcement agency of any city, county, or city and county.
(15)Health care worker means a person who, in the course and scope of employment, performs duties directly associated with the care and treatment rendered by the hospitals emergency department or the departments security.
(16)Public utility employee means any person employed by a public utility, as defined in Section 216 of the Public Utilities Code, including contract workers or employees of a corporate parent entity.
(g)It is the intent of the Legislature by amendments to this section at the 198182 and 198384 Regular Sessions to abrogate the holdings in cases such as People v. Corey, 21 Cal. 3d 738, and Cervantez v. J.C. Penney Co., 24 Cal. 3d 579, and to reinstate prior judicial interpretations of this section as they relate to criminal sanctions for battery on peace officers who are employed, on a part-time or casual basis, while wearing a police uniform as private security guards or patrolmen and to allow the exercise of peace officer powers concurrently with that employment.
SEC. 3.No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.
|
Date
|
Status
|
|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2025 | August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. |
| Jul 16, 2025 | July 16 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file. |
| Jul 3, 2025 | Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Jul 3, 2025 | (Corrected July 8). |
| Jul 2, 2025 | From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (July 1). |
| Jun 17, 2025 | June 17 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author. |
| Jun 9, 2025 | Referred to Com. on PUB. S. |
| Jun 3, 2025 | In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. |
| Jun 2, 2025 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 1407.) Ordered to the Assembly. |
| May 27, 2025 | Read second time. Ordered to third reading. |
| May 23, 2025 | Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. |
| May 23, 2025 | From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1200.) (May 23). |
| May 16, 2025 | Set for hearing May 23. |
| Apr 21, 2025 | April 21 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file. |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Set for hearing April 21. |
| Apr 1, 2025 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 611.) (April 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Mar 24, 2025 | From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S. |
| Mar 18, 2025 | Set for hearing April 1. |
| Feb 26, 2025 | Referred to Com. on PUB. S. |
| Feb 19, 2025 | From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 21. |
| Feb 18, 2025 | Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. |
|
Date
|
Description
|
Location
|
Votes
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2025 | Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] | Assembly Standing Committee on Public Safety |
Passed |
|
| Jun 2, 2025 | Senate 3rd Reading SB431 Arreguín | Senate Floor |
Passed |
|
| May 23, 2025 | Do pass as amended | Senate Standing Committee on Appropriations |
Passed |
|
| Apr 21, 2025 | Placed on suspense file | Senate Standing Committee on Appropriations |
Passed |
|
| Apr 1, 2025 | Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] | Senate Standing Committee on Public Safety |
Passed |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
|
Organization
|
Position
|
Date
|
|---|---|---|
| According to the author | ** Against | |
| Aclu California Action | ** Against | |
| Argument In Support | ** Against | |
| Arguments In Opposition | ** Against | |
| Association of California Cities Orange County | ** Support | |
| background | ** Against | |
| Bay Area Council | ** Support | |
| California District Attorneys Association | ** Support | |
| California Police Chiefs Association | ** Support | |
| California State Association Of Electrical Workers | ** Support | |
| California Water Association | ** Support | |
| City of Sacramento Department of Utilities | ** Support | |
| Coalition of California Utility Employees | ** Support | |
| COMMENTS | ** Against | |
| East Bay Municipal Utility District | ** Support | |
| Existing law defines “great bodily injury” as “a significant or substantial physical injury.” .) | ** Against | |
| Existing Penalties | ** Against | |
| Initiate Justice Action | ** Against | |
| League Of California Cities | ** Support | |
| Legal Services for Prisoners with Children | ** Against | |
| Local 148 La County Public Defenders Union | ** Against | |
| Need For This Bill | ** Against | |
| Pacific Gas And Electric Company | ** Support | |
| PURPOSE | ** Against | |
| San Diego Gas and Electric Company | ** Support | |
| San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins | ** Support | |
| Southern California Edison | ** Support | |
| Southern California Gas Company | ** Support | |
| The perpetrator knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a public utility employees or worker engaged in essential infrastructure work. | ** Against | |
| The victim is engaged in the performance of their duties; and, | ** Against | |
| This bill includes public utility employees and worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, as defined, in the list of professions which receive elevated penalties for assaults and batteries when | ** Against | |
| This bill makes such an assault or battery punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by both. | ** Against | |
| to utility workers who perform critical infrastructure services under increasingly dangerous conditions. | ** Against |
Date of Hearing: July 16, 2025
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Buffy Wicks, Chair
SBPCA Bill Id:SB 431
Author:(Arreguín) – As Amended Ver:July 3, 2025
Policy Committee: | Public Safety | Vote: | 9 - 0 |
|
| ||
|
|
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill increases the criminal penalties for simple assault and battery committed against a utility worker.
FISCAL EFFECT:
- Cost pressures (Trial Court Trust Fund, General Fund) of an unknown amount to the courts to adjudicate violations of the offenses expanded by this bill. A defendant charged with a misdemeanor is entitled to a jury trial and, if the defendant is indigent, legal representation provided by the government. Actual court costs will depend on the number of charges filed and the amount of additional court time needed to prove the elements regarding utility workers. Although courts are not funded on the basis of workload, increased pressure on the Trial Court Trust Fund may create a demand for increased funding for courts from the General Fund. The fiscal year 2025-26 state budget provides $82 million ongoing General Fund to the Trial Court Trust Fund for court operations.
- Costs (local funds, General Fund) to the counties to incarcerate people convicted of assault or battery against a utility worker. Actual incarceration costs will depend on the number of convictions and the length of each sentence. The average annual cost to incarcerate one person in county jail is approximately $29,000, though costs are much higher in larger counties. County incarceration costs are not subject to reimbursement by the state. However, overcrowding in county jails creates cost pressure on the General Fund because the state has historically granted new funding to counties to offset overcrowding resulting from public safety realignment.
COMMENTS:
Assault is an unlawful attempt to inflict injury on another person coupled with the ability to inflict injury. Battery is the unlawful and willful use of force or violence on another person. For example, swinging a fist at someone without making contact with them is an assault; punching someone is a battery. Under existing law, simple assault and battery are misdemeanor offenses. Simple assault is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both a fine and a jail term. Simple battery is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, up to six months in county jail, or both a fine and a jail term. More serious assaults and batteries – like those that cause serious injuries or that occur during the commission of a felony – are punished more harshly than simple assault and battery.
Existing law also provides heightened penalties for simple assault and battery committed against the members of certain professions, including peace officers, custodial officers, firefighters, animal control officers, and certain emergency medical professionals. To receive the heightened penalty, at the time of the crime, the victim must have been engaged in the performance of their professional duties, and the defendant must have known or reasonably should have known about the victim’s professional status. In this circumstance, a simple assault or battery is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, up to one year in county jail, or both a fine and a jail term.
This bill adds utility workers to the list of professions that may qualify for heightened simple assault and battery punishments. As defined in the bill, utility worker includes both employees and contractors of specified investor-owned or publicly owned utility corporation or cooperatives. The bill is sponsored by the Coalition of California Utility Employees and the California State Association of Electrical Workers. According to the bill’s author, utility workers “face unique vulnerabilities while performing their job duties” so the “enhanced protections already afforded to other classes of workers and professionals…that support public safety should be extended to utility employees and contractors.” As summarized in the analysis of this bill by the Assembly Committee on Public Safety, some utility workers have experienced violence and threats of violence while engaged in their professional duties in recent years. While this bill would not provide protections for those workers, it would, in certain circumstances, authorize longer jail terms and higher fines for defendants who commit assault or battery against qualifying workers.
Research shows that lengthy criminal sentences, which are costly to state and local governments, do not effectively deter crime. In general, the certainty that someone will be punished for an offense plays a larger role in deterring their criminal activity, rather than the length of their potential punishment.
Analysis Prepared by: Annika Carlson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
SENATE RULES COMMITTEE Office of Senate Floor Analyses (916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) 327-4478 | SB 431 |
THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 431
Author: Arreguín (D)
Amended: 5/23/25
Vote: 21
SENATE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE: 6-0, 4/1/25
AYES: Arreguín, Seyarto, Caballero, Gonzalez, Pérez, Wiener
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 6-0, 5/23/25
AYES: Caballero, Seyarto, Cabaldon, Grayson, Richardson, Wahab
NO VOTE RECORDED: Dahle
SUBJECT: Assault and battery: public utility employees and essential infrastructure workers
SOURCE: San Diego Gas & Electric Company
DIGEST:
This bill increases the punishment for assault and battery committed against a public utility employee or other worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, as defined, while engaged in the performance of their duties.
ANALYSIS:
Existing Law:
- Defines “assault” as an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to inflict a violent injury upon another person, and makes the offense punishable by up to six months in the county jail, by a fine not exceeding $1,000, or by both. (Penal (Pen.) Code, §§ 240 & 241, subd. (a).)
- Defines “battery” as the willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon another person, and makes the offense punishable by up to six months in the county jail, by a fine not to exceed $2,000, or by both. (Pen. Code, §§ 242 & 243, subd. (a).)
- Provides that any person who commits an assault upon another by any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for up to one year, or in the state prison for two, three, or four years, or by a fine not exceeding $10,000, or by both the fine and imprisonment. (Pen. Code, § 245, subd. (a)(4).)
- Provides that when an assault is committed against a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, and the perpetrator knows or reasonably should know that the victim is member of one of the specified professions engaged in the performance of their duties, or rendering emergency medical care (whichever is applicable to the profession), the assault is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both. (Pen. Code, § 241, subd. (c).)
- Provides that when an assault is committed against a “highway worker,” as defined, engaged in the performance of their duties, the offense is punishable by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both. (Pen. Code, § 241.5.)
- Provides that when a battery is committed against a peace officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, security officer, custody assistant, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties required of them as a peace officer while also employed in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or patrolman, or a nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, and the person committing the offense knows, or reasonably should know, that the victim is a member of one of the specified professions engaged in the performance of their duties, or rendering emergency medical care (whichever is applicable to the profession), the offense is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, or by imprisonment in a county jail for up to one year, or by both. (Pen. Code, § 243, subd. (b).)
- Provides that any person who personally inflicts great bodily injury on any person other than an accomplice in the commission, or attempted commission, of a felony shall be punished by an additional and consecutive term of imprisonment for three years. (Pen. Code, § 12022.7, subd. (a).)
This Bill:
- Includes public utility employees and other workers engaged in essential infrastructure work, as defined, in the list of professions which receive elevated penalties for assaults and batteries when:
- The victim is engaged in the performance of their duties; and,
- The perpetrator knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a public utility employees or worker engaged in essential infrastructure work.
- Makes such an assault or battery punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by both.
- Defines “public utility employee” as any person employed by a public utility, as defined in the Public Utilities Code, including contract workers, employees of a utility contractor, or employees of a corporate parent entity.
- Defines “engaged in essential infrastructure work” as “construction, maintenance, repair, or operation of critical facilities and services related to electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunications, public transportation, roads, bridges, or waste management.”
Background
This bill addresses assaults and batteries that do not involve infliction of serious injury or the likelihood of great bodily injury. Such an assault would typically be referred to as a "simple" assault and a similar battery would typically be termed a “simple” battery.
An assault is “an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on the person of another.” (Pen. Code, § 240.) A battery is “any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another.” (Pen. Code, § 242.) Assault is essentially attempted battery. “Simple assault” is included in the offense of battery, and a conviction of the latter would subsume the assault. By definition one cannot commit battery without also committing a “simple” assault which is nothing more than an attempted battery. (People v. Fuller (1975) 53 Cal. App. 3d 417.) An example of an assault would be if a person swung at another person without hitting them, whereas if the person did strike the other person, the conduct would become a battery.
Simple assaults and batteries on most individuals are misdemeanors punishable by up to 6 months in jail. However, existing law provides higher penalties for simple assaults and batteries against persons who are engaged in public safety activities or performing some other public function. It appears that the policy underlying these laws is that penalties should be higher where the defendant’s assaultive conduct interfered with public safety services, emergency medical care or some other public purpose or service. In these cases, the fact that the defendant knew, or should have known, the status of the victim is an element of the crime. The punishment for an assault or battery committed against these protected workers is up to one year in jail.
This bill expands the category of workers included in the statute with the elevated six-month penalty to public utility employees and other workers engaged in essential infrastructure work.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
- Trial Courts: Unknown, potentially significant cost to the state funded trial court system (Trial Court Trust Fund, General Fund) to adjudicate criminal penalties created by this bill.
- Incarceration: Unknown, potentially significant costs (local funds, General Fund) to the counties to incarcerate people who are convicted of these offenses for a longer period of time.
- Local Supervision: Unknown, potentially significant costs (local funds, General Fund) to county probation departments if individuals convicted of the expanded crimes created by this bill are supervised locally in the community in lieu of or in addition to incarceration.
SUPPORT: (Verified 5/23/25)
San Diego Gas and Electric Company (Source)
Association of California Cities – Orange County
Bay Area Council
California District Attorneys Association
California Police Chiefs Association
California State Association of Electrical Workers
California Water Association
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities
Coalition of California Utility Employees
East Bay Municipal Utility District
League of California Cities
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins
Southern California Edison
Southern California Gas Company
OPPOSITION: (Verified 5/23/25)
ACLU California Action
Initiate Justice Action
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
Local 148 LA County Public Defenders Union
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT:
According to the Coalition of California Utility Employees, a co-sponsor of this bill:
As Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events become more frequent due to heightened wildfire risks, frontline utility workers have faced growing hostility and threats from members of the public frustrated by power outages.
SB 431 will ensure that assaults or batteries committed against public utility employees are met with appropriate legal consequences. Under current law, similar protections are afforded to peace officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and other public servants. This bill rightfully extends those safeguards to utility workers who perform critical infrastructure services under increasingly dangerous conditions.
California’s public utility employees serve on the front lines during emergencies, restoring power, repairing infrastructure, and ensuring the safety and reliability of the electrical grid. Unfortunately, during PSPS events and other emergency situations, utility workers have experienced verbal threats, physical attacks, and other forms of harassment from individuals upset about service disruptions. These confrontations put both workers and the public at risk, undermining efforts to maintain essential services and respond to crises efficiently.
By recognizing public utility employees in the same legal framework as other essential workers, SB 431 will provide much-needed deterrence against violence and reinforce the state’s commitment to worker safety. Protecting these employees is not only a matter of workplace security but also a vital component of ensuring that California’s energy WWW.ACTUMLLC.COM infrastructure remains operational and resilient in the face of growing climate-related challenges.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION:
According to Local 148 Los Angeles Los Angeles County Public Defenders Union:
Existing laws already provide penalties for assault and battery against all individuals, regardless of their profession. Carving out additional categories of protected workers creates a tiered system of justice that undermines the principle of equal protection under the law. Like all individuals, public utility employees deserve safety and security in their workplace but enhancing penalties for crimes against one group over another leads to inequitable outcomes.
California’s history with tough-on-crime policies demonstrates that escalating penalties do not improve public safety. Instead, they contribute to costly mass incarceration without preventing harmful behavior. SB 431 follows this flawed path. Increasing jail time for individuals who cause harm to public utility workers will not prevent such incidents and may worsen community relations with utility providers.
When Governor Brown vetoed a similar bill, AB 172 (Rodriguez, 2015), he stated, “If there were evidence that an additional six months in county jail (three months, once good-time credits are applied) would enhance the safety of these workers or serve as a deterrent, I would sign this bill. I doubt that it would do either. We need to find more creative ways to protect the safety of these critical workers. This bill isn't the answer.” This reasoning holds true today — SB 431 is not the answer.
Prepared by: Sandy Uribe / PUB. S. /
5/27/25 12:20:11
**** END ****
SENATE COMMITTEE ON
Senator Anna Caballero, Chair
2025 - 2026 Regular Session
SB 431 (Arreguín) - Assault and battery: public utility employees and essential infrastructure workers
Version: | Policy Vote: |
Urgency: | Mandate: |
Hearing Date: | Consultant: |
Bill Summary:
SB 431 increases the punishment for assault and battery committed against a public utility employee or a worker engaged in essential infrastructure work.
*********** ANALYSIS ADDENDUM – SUSPENSE FILE ***********
The following information is revised to reflect amendments
adopted by the committee on May 23, 2025
Fiscal Impact:
- Trial Courts: Unknown, potentially significant cost to the state funded trial court system (Trial Court Trust Fund, General Fund) to adjudicate criminal penalties created by this bill.
- Incarceration: Unknown, potentially significant costs (local funds, General Fund) to the counties to incarcerate people who are convicted of these offenses for a longer period of time.
- Local Supervision: Unknown, potentially significant costs (local funds, General Fund) to county probation departments if individuals convicted of the expanded crimes created by this bill are supervised locally in the community in lieu of or in addition to incarceration.
Committee Amendments:
Make technical changes to clarify that the increased penalties only apply to public utility employees while they are engaged in essential infrastructure work
-- END --
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Anna Caballero, Chair
2025 - 2026 Regular Session
SB 431 (Arreguín) - Assault and battery: public utility employees and essential infrastructure workers
Version: March 24, 2025 | Policy Vote: PUB. S. 6 - 0 |
Urgency: No | Mandate: Yes |
Hearing Date: April 21, 2025 | Consultant: Liah Burnley |
Bill Summary:
SB 431 increases the punishment for assault and battery committed against a public utility employee or a worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, as defined, while engaged in the performance of their duties.
Fiscal Impact:
- Trial Courts: Unknown, potentially significant cost to the state funded trial court system (Trial Court Trust Fund, General Fund) to adjudicate criminal penalties created by this bill. Defendants are constitutionally guaranteed certain rights during criminal proceedings, including the right to a jury trial and the right to counsel (at public expense if the defendants are unable to afford the costs of representation). Creating new crimes, with increased penalties, could lead to lengthier and more complex court proceedings with attendant workload and resource costs to the court. The fiscal impact of this bill to the courts will depend on many unknown factors, including the numbers of people charged with an offense and the factors unique to each case. An eight-hour court day costs approximately $10,500 in staff in workload. If court days exceed 10, costs to the trial courts could reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. In 2023–24, over 4.8 million cases were filed statewide in the superior courts, including 179,821 felony cases and 451,647 misdemeanor cases. While the courts are not funded on a workload basis, an increase in workload could result in delayed court services and would put pressure on the General Fund to fund additional staff and resources and to increase the amount appropriated to backfill for trial court operations. The Governor’s 2025-26 budget proposes a $40 million ongoing increase in discretionary funding from the General Fund to help pay for increased trial court operation costs beginning in 2025-26.
- Incarceration: Unknown, potentially significant costs (local funds, General Fund) to the counties to incarcerate people who are convicted of this offense for a longer period of time. The average annual cost to incarcerate one person in county jail is approximately $77,252 per year. Actual incarceration costs to counties will depend on the number of convictions and the length of each sentence. Although county incarceration costs are generally not considered reimbursable state mandates pursuant to Proposition 30 (2012), overcrowding in county jails creates cost pressure on the General Fund because the state has historically granted new funding to counties to offset overcrowding resulting from 2011 public safety realignment.
- Local Supervision: Unknown, potentially significant costs (local funds, General Fund) to county probation departments if individuals convicted of the expanded crimes created by this bill are supervised locally in the community in lieu of or in addition to incarceration. In each criminal case, county probation departments conduct investigations to provide presentencing reports to the courts after a conviction, supervise people in the community to ensure they comply with the terms of their supervision, and refer people to programs intended to help them avoid committing new crimes and improve their lives. Annual supervision costs could range from approximately $4,000 to $15,000 per person. Actual costs would depend on the cost of supervision by each county probation department and how many individuals are granted probation, mandatory supervision or post release community supervision for the offense. According to the LAO, the state has typically provided counties with additional funding when state policy changes temporarily increase the post-release community supervision and probation populations. To the extent that defendants are able to avail themselves to drug courts, collaborative courts, and diversion programs as a result of a charge under this bill, there will be corresponding increases in workload and costs pressures to probation, county behavioral health services, district attorneys, and public defenders. Local costs to comply with this measure would be subject to reimbursement by the state to the extent that the Commission on State Mandates determines that this bill imposes a state-mandated local program.
Background:
Under existing law, a “simple assault” is an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to inflict a violent injury upon another person. Simple assault is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in the county jail, a fine not exceeding $1,000, or both. (Pen. Code, §§ 240 & 241, subd. (a).) An “aggravated assault” occurs when a person commits an assault upon another by any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. Aggravated assaults is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for up to one year, or a felony punishable in the state prison for two, three, or four years, or by a fine not exceeding $10,000, or by both. (Pen. Code, § 245, subd. (a)(4).)
Under existing law, “simple battery” is the willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon another person. Simple battery punishable as a misdemeanor by up to six months in the county jail, by a fine not to exceed $2,000, or by both. (Pen. Code, §§ 242 & 243, subd. (a).) An aggravated battery is a battery is committed upon any person and serious bodily injury is inflicted upon that person. Aggravated battery is punishable as a misdemeanor with a possible sentence of up to one year in the county jail, or as a felony punishable by for two, three, or four years in the county jail. (Pen. Code, § 243, subd. (d).) Existing law also provides that any person who personally inflicts great bodily injury on any person other than an accomplice in the commission, or attempted commission, of a felony shall be punished by an additional and consecutive term of imprisonment for three years. (Pen. Code, § 12022.7, subd. (a).)
For simple assault and simple battery, the penalty is increased when committed against certain professions. When committed against a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, and the perpetrator knows or reasonably should know that the victim is member of one of the specified professions engaged in the performance of their duties, or rendering emergency medical care (whichever is applicable to the profession), the assault is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both. When committed against a “highway worker,” as defined, engaged in the performance of their duties, the offenses are punishable by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both. (Pen. Code, §§ 241, subd. (c), 241.5, 243, subd. (b), and 243.65.)
Proposed Law:
This bill includes public utility employees and worker engaged in essential infrastructure work in the list of professions which receive elevated penalties for assaults and batteries when:
- The victim is engaged in the performance of their duties; and,
- The perpetrator knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a public utility employees or worker engaged in essential infrastructure work.
This bill makes such an assault or battery punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by both.
This bill defines the following:
- “Public utility employee” as “any person employed by a public utility, as defined in the Public Utilities Code, including contract workers, employees of a utility contractor, or employees of a corporate parent entity”; and,
- “Engaged in essential infrastructure work” as “construction, maintenance, repair, or operation of critical facilities and services related to electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunications, public transportation, roads, bridges, or waste management.”
Staff Comments:
Existing laws already provide penalties for assault and battery against all individuals, regardless of their profession. Increased penalties, including state prison felonies, are already available for aggravated assaults and batteries. Carving out additional categories of protected workers creates a tiered system of justice that creates a slippery slope for significant expansion of other professions and crimes. Further, there is no evidence that an additional six months in county jail, while costly, would enhance public safety, contribute to rehabilitation, or act as a deterrent.
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Senate COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY
Senator Jesse Arreguín, Chair
2025 - 2026 Regular
Bill No: SB 431 Hearing Date: April 1, 2025
Author: | Arreguín | ||
Version: | March 24, 2025 | ||
Urgency: | No | Fiscal: | Yes |
Consultant: | SU | ||
Subject: Assault and battery: public utility employees and essential infrastructure workers
HISTORY
Source: San Diego Gas & Electric Company
Prior Legislation: AB 977 (Rodriguez), Chapter 937, Statutes of 2024
SB 1416 (Bradford), not heard in Senate Public Safety, 2020
AB 329 (Rodriguez), as introduced, 2020
SB 513 (Bradford), vetoed, 2017
AB 172 (Rodriguez), vetoed, 2015
AB 1959 (Rodriguez), held in Asm. Appropriations, 2016
SB 390 (La Malfa), Chapter 249, Statutes of 2011
SB 406 (Lieu), Chapter 250, Statutes of 2011
Support: California District Attorneys Association (CDAA); California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA); California State Association of Electrical Workers; California Water Association; Coalition of California Utility Employees; League of California Cities; Pacific Gas and Electric Company; San Francisco District Attorney; Southern California Edison; Southern California Gas Company
Opposition: ACLU California Action; Initiate Justice Action; Legal Services for Prisoners with Children; LA County Public Defenders Union, Local 148
PURPOSE
The purpose of this bill is to increase the punishment for assault and battery committed against a public utility employee or a worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, as defined, while engaged in the performance of their duties.
Existing law defines “assault” as an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to inflict a violent injury upon another person, and makes the offense punishable by up to six months in the county jail, by a fine not exceeding $1,000, or by both. (Pen. Code, §§ 240 & 241, subd. (a).)
Existing law defines “battery” as the willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon another person, and makes the offense punishable by up to six months in the county jail, by a fine not to exceed $2,000, or by both. (Pen. Code, §§ 242 & 243, subd. (a).)
Existing law provides that any person who commits an assault upon another by any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for up to one year, or in the state prison for two, three, or four years, or by a fine not exceeding $10,000, or by both the fine and imprisonment. (Pen. Code, § 245, subd. (a)(4).)
Existing law provides that when an assault is committed against a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, and the perpetrator knows or reasonably should know that the victim is member of one of the specified professions engaged in the performance of their duties, or rendering emergency medical care (whichever is applicable to the profession), the assault is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both. (Pen. Code, § 241, subd. (c).)
Existing law provides that when an assault is committed against a “highway worker,” as defined, engaged in the performance of their duties, the offense is punishable by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both. (Pen. Code, § 241.5.)
Existing law provides that when a battery is committed upon any person and serious bodily injury is inflicted upon that person, the offense is punishable as a “wobbler” with a possible sentence of up to one year in the county jail, or for two, three, or four years in the county jail. (Pen. Code, § 243, subd. (d).)
Existing law provides that when a battery is committed against a peace officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, security officer, custody assistant, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties required of them as a peace officer while also employed in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or patrolman, or a nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the performance of their duties, whether on or off duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, or a physician, nurse, or other health care worker of a hospital engaged in providing services within the emergency department, and the person committing the offense knows, or reasonably should know, that the victim is a member of one of the specified professions engaged in the performance of their duties, or rendering emergency medical care (whichever is applicable to the profession), the offense is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, or by imprisonment in a county jail for up to one year, or by both. (Pen. Code, § 243, subd. (b).)
Existing law provides that when a battery is committed against a “highway worker,” as defined, engaged in the performance of their duties, the offense is punishable by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both. (Pen. Code, § 243.65.)
Existing law provides that any person who personally inflicts great bodily injury on any person other than an accomplice in the commission, or attempted commission, of a felony shall be punished by an additional and consecutive term of imprisonment for three years. (Pen. Code, § 12022.7, subd. (a).)
Existing law defines “great bodily injury” as “a significant or substantial physical injury.” (Pen. Code, § 12022.7, subd. (g).)
Existing law defines “public utility” as “every common carrier, toll bridge corporation, pipeline corporation, gas corporation, electrical corporation, telephone corporation, telegraph corporation, water corporation, sewer system corporation, and heat corporation, where the service is performed for, or the commodity is delivered to, the public or any portion thereof.” (Pub. Util. Code, § 216, subd. (a)(1).)
This bill includes public utility employees and worker engaged in essential infrastructure work, as defined, in the list of professions which receive elevated penalties for assaults and batteries when:
- The victim is engaged in the performance of their duties; and,
- The perpetrator knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a public utility employees or worker engaged in essential infrastructure work.
This bill makes such an assault or battery punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $2,000, or by both.
This bill defines “public utility employee” as “any person employed by a public utility, as defined in the Public Utilities Code, including contract workers, employees of a utility contractor, or employees of a corporate parent entity.”
This bill defines “engaged in essential infrastructure work” as “construction, maintenance, repair, or operation of critical facilities and services related to electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunications, public transportation, roads, bridges, or waste management.”
COMMENTS
- Need for This Bill
According to the author:
Similar to other classes of workers who already have protections against assault or battery under the State Penal Code (e.g. police officer, firefighter, nurse or doctor), public utility workers equally face threats to their safety when performing their essential work.
Incidents of harassment and assault against utility workers create a stressful and unsafe work environment that can complicate the ability of workers to perform their duties, which are essential to public safety. This also delays critical public utility infrastructure projects and maintenance which is critical to safety and our state’s economy. Including utility workers among employee groups afforded enhanced protections will act as a deterrent against future incidents.
- Background
This bill addresses assaults and batteries that do not involve infliction of serious injury or the likelihood of great bodily injury. Such an assault would typically be referred to as a "simple" assault and a similar battery would typically be termed a “simple” battery.
An assault is “an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on the person of another.” (Pen. Code, § 240.) A battery is “any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another.” (Pen. Code, § 242.) Assault is essentially attempted battery. “Simple assault” is included in the offense of battery, and a conviction of the latter would subsume the assault. By definition one cannot commit battery without also committing a “simple” assault which is nothing more than an attempted battery. (People v. Fuller (1975) 53 Cal. App. 3d 417.) An example of an assault would be if a person swung at another person without hitting them, whereas if the person did strike the other person, the conduct would become a battery.
- Existing Penalties
Simple assaults and batteries on most individuals are misdemeanors punishable by up to 6 months in jail.
The sections amended by this bill provide higher penalties for simple assaults and batteries against persons who are engaged in public safety activities or performing some other public function. It appears that the policy underlying these laws is that penalties should be higher where the defendant’s assaultive conduct interfered with public safety services, emergency medical care or some other public purpose or service. In these cases, the fact that the defendant knew, or should have known, the status of the victim is an element of the crime. The punishment for an assault or battery committed against these protected workers is up to one year in jail.
The background information provided by the author notes that after the recent Palisades Fire, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power informed police of some incidents where their employees were threatened. (DWP says workers have been threatened with bodily harm and, possibly, a rifle.) Utility worker harassment has been a long-standing issue even though front line workers do not make company decisions. As workers that frequently interface with the public during challenging circumstances, utility workers have faced threats, harassment, and assault during their commission of their work. For example, in 2022, a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) worker was stabbed while marking gas lines in San Francisco. (https://www.kron4.com/news/man-faces-charges-for-stabbing-of-pge-worker/) In a separate incident in 2022, a driver shouted racist slurs and physically assaulted a San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) worker controlling traffic around a repair site. (https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/man-charged-with-hate-crime-accused-of-racist-tirade-at-sdge-worker/ ) In both these incidents, the individuals who committed the crimes
were apprehended and faced criminal charges. This bill expands the category of workers included in the statute with the elevated six-month penalty to public utility employees and to workers engaged in essential infrastructure work.
However, this bill defines these classes of workers more broadly than other professions included within the statute. This bill includes within the definition, not only actual public utility employees, but also contract workers, employees of a utility contractor, or employees of a corporate parent entity.
This bill also covers persons engaged in "essential infrastructure work" which is defined as "construction, maintenance, repair, or operation of critical facilities and services related to electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunications, public transportation, roads, bridges, or waste management." Based on this language, would all electricians be covered because they provide services related to electricity? Would all plumbers be covered because they provide services related to water? During the COVID-19 pandemic, the essential workforce exception for the Governor's stay at home order, Executive Order N-33-20 covered "Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences, businesses, and buildings such as hospitals and senior living facilities, including any facility supporting COVID-19 response." (https://broadbandcouncil.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/68/2020/05/EssentialCriticalInfrastructureWorkers.pdf) Consistent with what appears to be the overarching policy behind this statute, should the definition of "essential infrastructure work" be narrowed to those working on, and providing services for, public infrastructure projects?
This bill also seems to overlap with existing law as it relates to workers engaged in the construction, maintenance and repair of roads and bridges because batteries against highway workers engaged in the performance of their duties are separately covered under Penal Code sections 241.5 (assaults) and 243.65 (batteries). It should be noted that section 243.65 does have the more expansive definition of “highway workers.” Both statutes define the term as “an employee of the Department of Transportation, a contractor or employee of a contractor while working under contract with the Department of Transportation, an employee of a city, county, or city and county, a contractor or employee of a contractor while working under contract with a city, county, or city and county, or a volunteer as defined in Section 1720.4 of the Labor Code who does one or more” specified activities. (Pen. Code, §§ 241.5, subd. (b), & 245.65, subd. (b).)
- Argument in Support
According to the Coalition of California Utility Employees, a co-sponsor of this bill:
As Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events become more frequent due to heightened wildfire risks, frontline utility workers have faced growing hostility and threats from members of the public frustrated by power outages.
SB 431 will ensure that assaults or batteries committed against public utility employees are met with appropriate legal consequences. Under current law, similar protections are afforded to peace officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and other public servants. This bill rightfully extends those safeguards
to utility workers who perform critical infrastructure services under increasingly dangerous conditions.
California’s public utility employees serve on the front lines during emergencies, restoring power, repairing infrastructure, and ensuring the safety and reliability of the electrical grid. Unfortunately, during PSPS events and other emergency situations, utility workers have experienced verbal threats, physical attacks, and other forms of harassment from individuals upset about service disruptions. These confrontations put both workers and the public at risk, undermining efforts to maintain essential services and respond to crises efficiently.
By recognizing public utility employees in the same legal framework as other essential workers, SB 431 will provide much-needed deterrence against violence and reinforce the state’s commitment to worker safety. Protecting these employees is not only a matter of workplace security but also a vital component of ensuring that California’s energy WWW.ACTUMLLC.COM infrastructure remains operational and resilient in the face of growing climate-related challenges.
- Argument in Opposition
According to Local 148 Los Angeles Los Angeles County Public Defenders Union:
Existing laws already provide penalties for assault and battery against all individuals, regardless of their profession. Carving out additional categories of protected workers creates a tiered system of justice that undermines the principle of equal protection under the law. Like all individuals, public utility employees deserve safety and security in their workplace but enhancing penalties for crimes against one group over another leads to inequitable outcomes.
California’s history with tough-on-crime policies demonstrates that escalating penalties do not improve public safety. Instead, they contribute to costly mass incarceration without preventing harmful behavior. SB 431 follows this flawed path. Increasing jail time for individuals who cause harm to public utility workers will not prevent such incidents and may worsen community relations with utility providers.
When Governor Brown vetoed a similar bill, AB 172 (Rodriguez, 2015), he stated, “If there were evidence that an additional six months in county jail (three months, once good-time credits are applied) would enhance the safety of these workers or serve as a deterrent, I would sign this bill. I doubt that it would do either. We need to find more creative ways to protect the safety of these critical workers. This bill isn't the answer.” This reasoning holds true today — SB 431 is not the answer.
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Discussed in Hearing
Assembly Standing Committee on Public Safety
Senate Floor
Senate Standing Committee on Public Safety
Bill Author
Bill Co-Author(s):