Plain English Breakdown
The official text is truncated at the end, so specific exceptions for data brokers or agencies sharing addresses 'as specified' cannot be fully detailed here.
The Judicial Home Security Act
This law creates a program that allows judges and their adult household members in California to replace their home addresses with an alternate address on public records.
What This Bill Does
- Requires the Attorney General to create the Judicial Home Security Program for eligible judicial officers and their households.
- Allows approved participants to request that state or local agencies substitute a designated alternate mailing address for their real home address in public records.
- Requires county assessors and recorders to shield addresses on property deeds, tax rolls, maps, and other specified records within 5 business days of receiving a valid request.
- Prohibits third-party data brokers from selling or sharing the hidden home addresses of program participants online or offline.
- Establishes a fund in the state budget that can be used to run the program if money is approved by the Legislature.
Who It Names or Affects
- Current, future (imminent), and former superior court judges and district court judges living in California.
- Adult household members of these judicial officers who live with them.
- State agencies, county assessors, and county recorders that hold public records.
- Third-party data brokers and websites that collect or sell personal information.
Terms To Know
- Judicial Officer
- A judge who currently serves, will soon serve (imminent), or has served in a superior court or district court.
- Alternate Mailing Address
- A substitute address used on public records to replace the participant's actual home location.
- Data Broker
- A company that collects and sells personal information about people, such as their addresses.
Limits and Unknowns
- The program will not begin accepting applications until April 1, 2027.
- Participants must pay a fee to have specific documents shielded from public view.
- Knowingly providing false or incorrect information on the application is a crime punishable as a misdemeanor.