SB 571 — Emergencies: crimes.
Last action — Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 545, Statutes of 2025.
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed Senate
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✓Passed Assembly
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5To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced February 20, 2025. It awaits signature.
Next likely step: the executive signs it into law or issues a veto.
Odds of enactment
Moderate chanceBased on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a moderate chance of becoming law.
Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.
A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.
Prognosis
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To Executive
Current position in the legislative process.
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11 sponsors
1 primary, 10 co-sponsors signed on.
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Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (11 D).
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 8 recorded votes so far.
Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.
Summary
Existing law defines looting as the commission of certain offenses during and within an affected county in a state of emergency or local emergency, as specified. Existing law includes any 2nd-degree burglary or grand theft in the definition of looting, and makes looting based on those offenses punishable by either imprisonment in a county jail for one year or as a felony. This bill would authorize the court to consider the fact, if pled and proven, that the defendant committed the crime of looting while impersonating emergency personnel as a factor in aggravation. Existing law prohibits credibly impersonating a peace officer, firefighter, or employee of a state or local government agency, or a search and rescue team, as specified. A violation of these prohibitions is punishable as a misdemeanor. This bill would make it a crime, punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony, for a person, other than a first responder to wear, exhibit, or use the uniform, insignia, emblem, device, label, certificate, card, or writing of a first responder with the intent of fraudulently impersonating a first responder within an area under an evacuation order, as specified. The bill would also make it a crime, punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony, to impersonate a first responder on the internet or by electronic means during an evacuation order or within 30 days of its termination for the purpose of defrauding another, as specified. Existing law, until January 1, 2029, defines the offense of aggravated arson, and defines the aggravating factors for the offense as: the person has been previously convicted of arson on one or more occasions within the past 10 years, the fire caused property damage and other losses in excess of $10,100,000, or the fire caused damage to, or the destruction of, 5 or more inhabited dwellings. Existing law, commencing January 1, 2029, deletes the aggravating factor of property damage and other losses in excess of $10,100,000 from the definition of aggravated arson. This bill would state that it is the intent of the Legislature that amendments to the above-described dollar amounts are to be applied prospectively and shall not be interpreted to benefit any defendant who committed a crime or received a sentence before the effective date of the amendment. By creating a new crime and by increasing the punishment of specified 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. This bill would make the operation of its provisions contingent upon the enactment of AB 468 of the 2025–26 Regular Session.
Bill Text
- Chaptered 10/10/25 - Chaptered Current pdf October 10, 2025
- Enrolled 09/16/25 - Enrolled pdf September 16, 2025
- Amended 09/04/25 - Amended Assembly pdf September 04, 2025
- Amended 09/02/25 - Amended Assembly pdf September 02, 2025
- Amended 07/17/25 - Amended Assembly pdf July 17, 2025
- Amended 05/23/25 - Amended Senate pdf May 23, 2025
- Amended 03/25/25 - Amended Senate pdf March 25, 2025
- Introduced 02/20/25 - Introduced pdf February 20, 2025
- SB571 View text html
Action History
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Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 545, Statutes of 2025.
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Approved by the Governor.
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Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
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Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2874.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
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In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
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Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 3086.) Ordered to the Senate.
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Ordered to third reading.
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Read third time and amended.
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Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
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Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
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From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (August 29).
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August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
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Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
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From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (July 15).
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July 1 hearing postponed by committee.
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Referred to Com. on PUB. S.
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In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
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Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 1452.) Ordered to the Assembly.
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Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
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Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
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From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1204.) (May 23).
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Set for hearing May 23.
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May 5 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
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Set for hearing May 5.
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From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 842.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
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Set for hearing April 22.
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Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
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From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.
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Referred to Com. on RLS.
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From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.
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Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Sponsors
- Thomas J. Umberg · Cosponsor
- Henry I. Stern · Cosponsor
- Laura Richardson · Cosponsor
- Eloise Gómez Reyes · Cosponsor
- Sasha Renée Pérez · Cosponsor
- Caroline Menjivar · Cosponsor
- Timothy S. Grayson · Cosponsor
- Sabrina Cervantes · Cosponsor
- Jesse Arreguín · Cosponsor
- Bob Archuleta · Primary
- Melissa Hurtado · Cosponsor
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 10 co-sponsors · 111 not signed on
Sponsors (1)
- Archuleta, Bob Democratic
Co-sponsors (10)
- Umberg, Thomas J. Democratic
- Stern, Henry I. Democratic
- Richardson, Laura Democratic
- Reyes, Eloise Gómez Democratic
- Pérez, Sasha Renée Democratic
- Menjivar, Caroline Democratic
- Grayson, Timothy S. Democratic
- Cervantes, Sabrina Democratic
- Arreguín, Jesse Democratic
- Hurtado, Melissa Democratic
Not signed on (111)
111 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 111 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democratic | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 55 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Republican | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 76 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| % of votes cast | 95% | 0% | 0% | 5% |
How each member voted (80)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Ávila Farías | — | Yea |
| Addis, Dawn | Democratic | Yea |
| Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Ahrens, Patrick | Democratic | Yea |
| Alvarez, David | Democratic | Yea |
| Arambula, Joaquin | Democratic | Yea |
| Bains, Jasmeet | Democratic | Yea |
| Bauer-Kahan, Rebecca | Democratic | Yea |
| Bennett, Steve | Democratic | Yea |
| Berman, Marc | Democratic | Yea |
| Boerner, Tasha | Democratic | Yea |
| Bonta, Mia | Democratic | Yea |
| Bryan, Isaac G. | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Calderon, Lisa | Democratic | Yea |
| Caloza, Jessica | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Carrillo, Juan | Democratic | Yea |
| Connolly, Damon | Democratic | Yea |
| Elhawary, Sade | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Fong, Mike | Democratic | Yea |
| Gabriel, Jesse | Democratic | Yea |
| Garcia, Robert | Democratic | Yea |
| Gipson, Mike A. | Democratic | Yea |
| González, Mark | Democratic | Yea |
| Haney, Matt | Democratic | Yea |
| Harabedian, John | Democratic | Yea |
| Hart, Gregg | Democratic | Yea |
| Irwin, Jacqui | Democratic | Yea |
| Jackson, Corey A. | Democratic | Yea |
| Kalra, Ash | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Krell, Maggy | Democratic | Yea |
| Lee, Alex | Democratic | Yea |
| Lowenthal, Josh | Democratic | Yea |
| McKinnor, Tina | Democratic | Yea |
| Muratsuchi, Al | Democratic | Yea |
| Nguyen, Stephanie | Democratic | Yea |
| Ortega, Liz | Democratic | Yea |
| Pacheco, Blanca | Democratic | Yea |
| Papan, Diane | Democratic | Yea |
| Patel, Darshana R. | Democratic | Yea |
| Pellerin, Gail | Democratic | Yea |
| Petrie-Norris, Cottie | Democratic | Yea |
| Quirk-Silva, Sharon | Democratic | Yea |
| Ramos, James C. | Democratic | Yea |
| Ransom, Rhodesia | Democratic | Yea |
| Rivas, Robert | Democratic | Yea |
| Rodriguez, Celeste | Democratic | Yea |
| Rodriguez, Michelle | Democratic | Yea |
| Rogers, Chris | Democratic | Yea |
| Rubio, Blanca E. | Democratic | Yea |
| Schiavo, Pilar | Democratic | Yea |
| Schultz, Nick | Democratic | Yea |
| Sharp-Collins, LaShae | Democratic | Yea |
| Solache, Jr., José Luis | Democratic | Yea |
| Soria, Esmeralda | Democratic | Yea |
| Stefani, Catherine | Democratic | Yea |
| Valencia, Avelino | Democratic | Yea |
| Ward, Christopher M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Wicks, Buffy | Democratic | Yea |
| Wilson, Lori D. | Democratic | Yea |
| Zbur, Rick Chavez | Democratic | Yea |
| Alanis, Juan | Republican | Yea |
| Castillo, Leticia | Republican | Yea |
| Chen, Phillip | Republican | Yea |
| Davies, Laurie | Republican | Yea |
| DeMaio, Carl | Republican | Yea |
| Dixon, Diane | Republican | Yea |
| Ellis, Stan | Republican | Yea |
| Flora, Heath | Republican | Yea |
| Gallagher, James | Republican | Yea |
| Gonzalez, Jeff | Republican | Yea |
| Hadwick, Heather | Republican | Yea |
| Hoover, Josh | Republican | Yea |
| Johnson, Natasha | Republican | Yea |
| Lackey, Tom | Republican | Yea |
| Macedo, Alexandra | Republican | Yea |
| Patterson, Joe | Republican | Yea |
| Sanchez, Kate | Republican | Yea |
| Ta, Tri | Republican | Yea |
| Tangipa, David J. | Republican | Yea |
| Wallis, Greg | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| % of votes cast | 73% | 0% | 0% | 27% |
How each member voted (15)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Ahrens, Patrick | Democratic | Yea |
| Arambula, Joaquin | Democratic | Yea |
| Calderon, Lisa | Democratic | Yea |
| Caloza, Jessica | Democratic | Yea |
| Elhawary, Sade | Democratic | Yea |
| Fong, Mike | Democratic | Yea |
| González, Mark | Democratic | Yea |
| Pacheco, Blanca | Democratic | Yea |
| Pellerin, Gail | Democratic | Yea |
| Solache, Jr., José Luis | Democratic | Yea |
| Wicks, Buffy | Democratic | Yea |
| Dixon, Diane | Republican | Not Voting |
| Sanchez, Kate | Republican | Not Voting |
| Ta, Tri | Republican | Not Voting |
| Tangipa, David J. | Republican | Not Voting |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democratic | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (9)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| González, Mark | Democratic | Yea |
| Haney, Matt | Democratic | Yea |
| Harabedian, John | Democratic | Yea |
| Nguyen, Stephanie | Democratic | Yea |
| Ramos, James C. | Democratic | Yea |
| Schultz, Nick | Democratic | Yea |
| Sharp-Collins, LaShae | Democratic | Yea |
| Alanis, Juan | Republican | Yea |
| Lackey, Tom | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democratic | 29 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 39 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 98% | 0% | 0% | 3% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 86% | 0% | 0% | 14% |
How each member voted (7)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Cabaldon, Christopher | Democratic | Yea |
| Caballero, Anna M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Grayson, Timothy S. | Democratic | Yea |
| Richardson, Laura | Democratic | Yea |
| Wahab, Aisha | Democratic | Yea |
| Dahle, Megan | Republican | Not Voting |
| Seyarto, Kelly | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (7)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Cabaldon, Christopher | Democratic | Yea |
| Caballero, Anna M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Grayson, Timothy S. | Democratic | Yea |
| Richardson, Laura | Democratic | Yea |
| Wahab, Aisha | Democratic | Yea |
| Dahle, Megan | Republican | Yea |
| Seyarto, Kelly | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (6)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Arreguín, Jesse | Democratic | Yea |
| Caballero, Anna M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Gonzalez, Lena A. | Democratic | Yea |
| Pérez, Sasha Renée | Democratic | Yea |
| Wiener, Scott D. | Democratic | Yea |
| Seyarto, Kelly | Republican | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does SB 571 do?
- Existing law defines looting as the commission of certain offenses during and within an affected county in a state of emergency or local emergency, as specified. Existing law includes any 2nd-degree burglary or grand theft in the definition of looting, and makes looting based on those offenses punishable by either imprisonment in a county jail for one year or as a felony. This bill would authorize the court to consider the fact, if pled and proven, that the defendant committed the crime of looting while impersonating emergency personnel as a factor in aggravation. Existing law prohibits credibly impersonating a peace officer, firefighter, or employee of a state or local government agency, or a search and rescue team, as specified. A violation of these prohibitions is punishable as a misdemeanor. This bill would make it a crime, punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony, for a person, other than a first responder to wear, exhibit, or use the uniform, insignia, emblem, device, label, certificate, card, or writing of a first responder with the intent of fraudulently impersonating a first responder within an area under an evacuation order, as specified. The bill would also make it a crime, punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony, to impersonate a first responder on the internet or by electronic means during an evacuation order or within 30 days of its termination for the purpose of defrauding another, as specified. Existing law, until January 1, 2029, defines the offense of aggravated arson, and defines the aggravating factors for the offense as: the person has been previously convicted of arson on one or more occasions within the past 10 years, the fire caused property damage and other losses in excess of $10,100,000, or the fire caused damage to, or the destruction of, 5 or more inhabited dwellings. Existing law, commencing January 1, 2029, deletes the aggravating factor of property damage and other losses in excess of $10,100,000 from the definition of aggravated arson. This bill would state that it is the intent of the Legislature that amendments to the above-described dollar amounts are to be applied prospectively and shall not be interpreted to benefit any defendant who committed a crime or received a sentence before the effective date of the amendment. By creating a new crime and by increasing the punishment of specified 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. This bill would make the operation of its provisions contingent upon the enactment of AB 468 of the 2025–26 Regular Session.
- Who sponsors SB 571?
- SB 571 is sponsored by Umberg, Thomas J. (Democratic), Stern, Henry I. (Democratic), Richardson, Laura (Democratic), Reyes, Eloise Gómez (Democratic), Pérez, Sasha Renée (Democratic), Menjivar, Caroline (Democratic), Grayson, Timothy S. (Democratic), Cervantes, Sabrina (Democratic), Arreguín, Jesse (Democratic), Archuleta, Bob (Democratic), and Hurtado, Melissa (Democratic).
- What is the current status of SB 571?
- This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced February 20, 2025. It awaits signature.
- Where can I track SB 571?
- Track SB 571 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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