Crimes: criminal threats.

Crime Elections

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Pacheco
Last action: 2025-10-10
Official status: Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 554, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how sentences will be affected by these threats.

Criminal Threats Against Officials

This law allows courts to consider threats made against state officials, legislators, judges, or court commissioners more seriously when deciding on punishment for someone who has committed a felony.

What This Bill Does

Allows courts to take into account threats made against specific officials as an aggravating factor during sentencing for felony crimes.

Who It Names or Affects

People convicted of felonies who make threats against state constitutional officers, legislators, judges, or court commissioners may face harsher sentences.
Courts that decide on sentences for people convicted of felonies involving these types of threats.

Terms To Know

Felony: A serious crime that is punished by a year or more in prison.
State constitutional officer: An official chosen by voters to lead an important part of state government, like the governor or lieutenant governor.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how much harsher sentences will be for these threats.
It only applies when someone is already facing felony charges and makes a threat against one of the listed officials.

Bill History

2025-10-10 California Legislative Information
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 554, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-10 California Legislative Information
Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-15 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.
2025-09-08 California Legislative Information
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 3025.).
2025-09-04 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-09-04 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2519.).
2025-09-02 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 29).
2025-07-07 California Legislative Information
In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.
2025-06-25 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-06-24 California Legislative Information
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (June 24).
2025-06-12 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-06-11 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-06-03 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
2025-06-02 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 1821.)
2025-05-27 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 23).
2025-04-09 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.
2025-03-26 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (March 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-03-18 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-03-17 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. Read second time and amended.
2025-03-05 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, second hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-03-04 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-02-10 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-01-31 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee March 2.
2025-01-30 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 352, Pacheco.
Crimes: criminal threats.
Existing law makes it a crime to willfully threaten to commit a crime that will result in death or great bodily injury to another person, with the specific intent that the statement is to be taken as a threat that, on its face and under the circumstances in which it is made, is so unequivocal, unconditional, immediate, and specific as to convey to the person threatened a gravity of purpose and an immediate prospect of execution of the threat, and thereby reasonably causes the threatened person to be in sustained fear for their own safety or the safety of their immediate family, as defined. Under existing law, this crime is punishable as a misdemeanor or in state prison as a felony.
This bill would, for the purposes of sentencing for a felony violation of these provisions, authorize the court to consider, as a factor in aggravation, that the
defendant willfully threatened to commit a crime that would result in the death or great bodily injury of a person the defendant knew was a state constitutional officer, a Member of the Legislature, or a judge or court commissioner, as specified.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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