SB431 - Assault and battery: utility workers.

Amended IN Assembly July 03, 2025 Amended IN Senate May 23, 2025 Amended IN Senate March 24, 2025 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Senate Bill No. 431 Introduced by Senator Arreguín (Coauthor: Assembly Member Krell) February 18, 2025 An act to amend Sections 241 and 243 of the Penal Code, relating to crimes. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 431, as amended, Arreguín. Assault and battery: public utility employees and essential infrastructure utility workers. 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. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 241 of the Penal Code is amended to read: 241. (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 person’s 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 hospital’s emergency department or the department’s 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 defendant’s child, former spouse, fiancé, or fiancée, 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 batterer’s 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 XIII B 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 defendant’s 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 defendant’s ability to pay. In no event shall any order to make paym [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]