BILL NUMBER: AB 123 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Mendoza
JANUARY 10, 2011
An act to amend Section 626.8 of the Penal Code, relating to
school safety.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 123, as introduced, Mendoza. School safety: disruption
threatening pupil's immediate physical safety.
Existing law provides that a person who comes into any school
building or upon any school ground, or adjacent street, sidewalk, or
public way, whose presence or acts interfere with or disrupt a school
activity, without lawful business, or who remains after having been
asked to leave, as specified, is guilty of a misdemeanor. "School" is
defined to mean any preschool or public or private school having
kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
This bill would expand this provision to also apply to any person
who comes into any school building or upon any school ground, or
adjacent street, sidewalk, or public way, and willfully or knowingly
creates a disruption with the intent to threaten the immediate
physical safety of any pupil in preschool, kindergarten, or any of
grades 1 to 8, inclusive, arriving at, attending, or leaving from
school. Because this bill would expand the definition of an existing
crime, it would create 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.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 626.8 of the Penal Code is amended to read:
626.8. (a) Any person who comes into any school building or upon
any school ground, or street, sidewalk, or public way adjacent
thereto, without lawful business thereon, and whose presence or acts
interfere with the peaceful conduct of the activities of the school
or disrupt the school or its pupils or school activities, is guilty
of a misdemeanor if he or she does any of the following:
(1) Remains there after being asked to leave by the chief
administrative official of that school or his or her designated
representative, or by a person employed as a member of a security or
police department of a school district pursuant to Section
39670 Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 38000) of
Part 23 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code, or a
city police officer, or sheriff or deputy sheriff, or a Department of
the California Highway Patrol peace officer.
(2) Reenters or comes upon that place within seven days of being
asked to leave by a person specified in paragraph (1).
(3) Has otherwise established a continued pattern of unauthorized
entry.
This section shall not be utilized to impinge upon the lawful
exercise of constitutionally protected rights of freedom of speech or
assembly.
(4) Willfully or knowingly creates a disruption with the intent to
threaten the immediate physical safety of any pupil in preschool,
kindergarten, or any of grades 1 to 8, inclusive, arriving at,
attending, or leaving from school.
(b) Punishment for violation of this section shall be as follows:
(1) Upon a first conviction by a fine not exceeding five hundred
dollars ($500), by imprisonment in a county jail for a period of not
more than six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(2) If the defendant has been previously convicted once of a
violation of any offense defined in this chapter or Section 415.5, by
imprisonment in a county jail for a period of not less than 10 days
or more than six months, or by both imprisonment and a fine not
exceeding five hundred dollars ($500), and shall not be released on
probation, parole, or any other basis until he or she has served not
less than 10 days.
(3) If the defendant has been previously convicted two or more
times of a violation of any offense defined in this chapter or
Section 415.5, by imprisonment in a county jail for a period of not
less than 90 days or more than six months, or by both imprisonment
and a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500), and shall not
be released on probation, parole, or any other basis until he or she
has served not less than 90 days.
(c) As used in this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) "Lawful business" means a reason for being present upon school
property which is not otherwise prohibited by statute, by ordinance,
or by any regulation adopted pursuant to statute or ordinance.
(2) "Continued pattern of unauthorized entry" means that on at
least two prior occasions in the same school year the defendant came
into any school building or upon any school ground, or street,
sidewalk, or public way adjacent thereto, without lawful business
thereon, and his or her presence or acts interfered with the peaceful
conduct of the activities of the school or disrupted the school or
its pupils or school activities, and the defendant was asked to leave
by a person specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).
(3) "School" means any preschool or public or private school
having kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
(d) When a person is directed to leave pursuant to paragraph (1)
of subdivision (a), the person directing him or her to leave shall
inform the person that if he or she reenters the place within seven
days he or she will be guilty of a crime.
(e) This section shall not be utilized to impinge upon the lawful
exercise of constitutionally protected rights of speech or assembly.
SEC. 2. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the
Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the
meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.