PRIA Logo™
CaliforniaAB 3212025-2026 Regular SessionHouse

Misdemeanors.

Sponsored By: Nick Schultz (Democratic)

Signed by Governor

Your PRIA Score

Score Hidden

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to start

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.

Some charges can be infractions

For certain offenses listed in law, the case can be handled as an infraction. This happens if the prosecutor files it as an infraction and you do not choose a misdemeanor at arraignment after being told your rights. It also happens if the court, with your consent, reclassifies it as an infraction. The case then follows infraction procedures, which carry lower penalties and fewer long-term effects.

More ways to get misdemeanor status

The law keeps the basic rule: felonies are crimes punishable by death, state prison, or 1170(h) county jail. It creates more ways for a charge to count as a misdemeanor for all purposes. That can happen if the judge imposes a fine or county jail time instead of prison or 1170(h) time; if the court sends a youth to secure treatment and labels the offense a misdemeanor; if the court grants probation and declares it a misdemeanor; if the prosecutor files it as a misdemeanor and the defendant does not object at arraignment; or if the court decides before trial it is a misdemeanor. If a judge denies a pretrial request, a new request is allowed only if circumstances change, like new facts or a change in the law. In these cases, the case proceeds under misdemeanor rules.

Youth commitments end as misdemeanors

If a young person is sent to a secure youth treatment facility for certain crimes, the offense becomes a misdemeanor when they are discharged. This covers crimes punishable by state prison or by county jail under 1170(h), or by a fine or county jail up to one year. After discharge, the offense is a misdemeanor for all purposes.

Keep registration; unpaid restitution not a bar

This law does not let judges remove sex-offender registration after a guilty finding for a registerable offense. Courts also cannot deny a reduction request just because restitution or a restitution fine is still unpaid. These limits guide how judges use their discretion in reduction decisions.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Nick Schultz

    Democratic • House

Cosponsors

  • Scott Wiener

    Democratic • Senate

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 144 • No: 32

House vote • 9/8/2025

Item 20 — Assembly AFLOOR

Yes: 55 • No: 12

Senate vote • 9/4/2025

Item 153 — Senate SFLOOR

Yes: 23 • No: 13

legislature vote • 6/10/2025

Vote in CS72

Yes: 5 • No: 1

House vote • 3/13/2025

Item 7 — Assembly AFLOOR

Yes: 52 • No: 6

legislature vote • 3/4/2025

Vote in CX18

Yes: 9 • No: 0

Actions Timeline

  1. Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 611, Statutes of 2025.

    10/11/2025Senate

  2. Approved by the Governor.

    10/11/2025legislature

  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.

    9/15/2025legislature

  4. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 55. Noes 12. Page 3023.).

    9/8/2025House

  5. In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

    9/4/2025House

  6. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 23. Noes 13. Page 2508.).

    9/4/2025Senate

  7. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    8/20/2025Senate

  8. Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    8/19/2025Senate

  9. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    6/11/2025Senate

  10. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 1.) (June 10).

    6/10/2025Senate

  11. 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.

    5/29/2025Senate

  12. Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    5/7/2025Senate

  13. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    3/13/2025Senate

  14. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 52. Noes 6. Page 617.)

    3/13/2025House

  15. Ordered to third reading.

    3/10/2025House

  16. From Consent Calendar.

    3/10/2025House

  17. Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    3/5/2025House

  18. From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (March 4).

    3/4/2025House

  19. Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    2/10/2025House

  20. Read first time.

    1/27/2025House

  21. From printer. May be heard in committee February 24.

    1/25/2025House

  22. Introduced. To print.

    1/24/2025House

Bill Text

  • Chaptered

    10/11/2025

    HTML

  • Enrolled

    9/10/2025

    HTML

  • Amended Senate

    8/19/2025

    HTML

  • Amended Senate

    5/29/2025

    HTML

  • Introduced

    1/24/2025

    HTML

Related Bills

Back to State Legislation