BILL NUMBER: AB 1782	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 19, 2014
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 1, 2014
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 22, 2014

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Chesbro
   (Coauthor: Assembly Member Gatto)

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2014

   An act to amend Section 591 of the Penal Code, relating to
property crimes.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1782, as amended, Chesbro. Wires: unlawful removal.
   Under existing law it is a crime for any person to unlawfully and
maliciously take down, remove, injure, or obstruct any line of
telegraph, telephone, or cable television, or any other line used to
conduct electricity, or any part thereof, or appurtenances or
apparatus connected therewith, or to sever any wire, or make any
unauthorized connection with any line, other than a telegraph,
telephone, or cable television line, used to conduct electricity.
Under existing law a violation of these provisions is punishable by
imprisonment in a county jail not to exceed 16 months, 2 or 3 years,
or by a fine not exceeding $500, or by imprisonment in a county jail
not exceeding one year.
   This bill would additionally make it a crime for any person to
unlawfully and maliciously disconnect or cut a line of telegraph,
telephone, or cable television, or any line used to conduct
electricity, or any part thereof, or appurtenance or apparatus
connected therewith. The bill would specify that a connected
appurtenance or apparatus includes a backup deep cycle battery or
other power supply. The bill would  also increase the
above-specified fine to an amount not exceeding $10,000 per incident
  make the crime punishable by imprisonment in a county
jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $1,000, or by
both that imprisonment and fine, or by imprisonment in a county jail
for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years and a fine not exceeding $10,000 
.
   By expanding the scope of a crime, 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.
   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 591 of the Penal Code is amended to read:
   591.  A person who unlawfully and maliciously takes down, removes,
injures, disconnects, cuts, or obstructs a line of telegraph,
telephone, or cable television, or any line used to conduct
electricity, or any part thereof, or appurtenances or apparatus
connected therewith, including, but not limited to, a backup deep
cycle battery or other power supply, or severs any wire thereof, or
makes an unauthorized connection with any line, other than a
telegraph, telephone, or cable television line, used to conduct
electricity, or any part thereof, or appurtenances or apparatus
connected therewith, is  punishable   subject to
punishment  by imprisonment  in a county jail not exceeding
one year, by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or
by both that imprisonment and fine, or by imprisonment in a county
jail for 16 months, two or three years  pursuant to subdivision
(h) of Section 1170  , or by a fine not exceeding ten
thousand dollars ($10,000) per incident, or imprisonment in the
county jail not exceeding one year   and a fine of up to
ten thousand dollars ($10,000)  .
  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.