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SB-821 • 2026

Criminal procedure: arraignment.

Criminal procedure: arraignment.

Children Crime Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Arreguín
Last action
2026-02-02
Official status
Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Criminal procedure: arraignment.

SB 821, as amended, Arreguín.

What This Bill Does

  • SB 821, as amended, Arreguín.
  • Criminal procedure: arraignment.
  • Existing law requires a person arrested without a warrant to be taken before the nearest magistrate in the county in which the offense is triable without delay.
  • Existing law also authorizes a peace officer to release the arrested person from custody instead of taking them before a magistrate under certain specified circumstances, including if the person was arrested for intoxication only.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-02 California Legislative Information

    Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

  2. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    May 23 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

  3. 2025-05-16 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 23.

  4. 2025-04-21 California Legislative Information

    April 21 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  5. 2025-04-10 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 21.

  6. 2025-04-08 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 709.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  7. 2025-04-02 California Legislative Information

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

  8. 2025-03-27 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 8.

  9. 2025-03-12 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

  10. 2025-02-24 California Legislative Information

    Read first time.

  11. 2025-02-24 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.

  12. 2025-02-21 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 821, as amended, Arreguín.
Criminal procedure: arraignment.
Existing law requires a person arrested without a warrant to be taken before the nearest magistrate in the county in which the offense is triable without delay. Existing law also authorizes a peace officer to release the arrested person from custody instead of taking them before a magistrate under certain specified circumstances, including if the person was arrested for intoxication only. Existing law requires the court, during the in-custody appearance of a person charged with a misdemeanor, to determine whether there is probable cause to believe that a public offense has been committed.
This bill would require the court to promptly, but no later than 48 hours after a warrantless arrest, review the basis for the arrest and make an initial determination whether probable cause exists that an offense has been committed and that the arrested
person committed it if the defendant remains in custody, as specified. The bill would require that if the court makes an initial finding of no probable cause, the court to order the person to be released
immediately.
immediately and provide notice to both the arrested person and the person having custody of the arrested person.
Existing law similarly requires a juvenile that has been arrested to be released with 48 hours, excluding judicial holidays, unless a petition has been filed to make the minor a ward of the court or charges have been filed charging the minor as an adult.
This bill would
remove the judicial holidays exemption and the petition exemption and would instead
require the court to promptly, but no later than 48 hours after a juvenile is taken into
custody
custody,
make a determination whether an offense has been committed and whether the juvenile in custody committed it, as specified. The bill would require that if the court makes an initial finding of no probable cause, the court to order the juvenile to be released
immediately.
immediately and provide notice to the juvenile, the person or entity having custody of the juvenile, and the public defender or indigent defense provider.
Existing law requires any decision to detain a juvenile who is in custody under the belief that the juvenile has committed a misdemeanor, as specified, for more than 24 hours to be subject to written review and approval by a probation officer, as specified.
This bill would expand the above-described requirement for the written review and approval by the probation officer to all crimes for which the juvenile is in custody for more than 24 hours.
By imposing a higher level of service on prosecutors, public defenders, police, jails, and courthouses, 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Current Bill Text

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