BILL ANALYSIS �
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2464
Author: Gatto (D)
Amended: 5/2/12 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE BUSINESS, PROF. & ECON. DEV. COMM. : 7-0, 7/2/12
AYES: Price, Corbett, Correa, Hernandez, Negrete McLeod,
Vargas, Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Emmerson, Strickland
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 72-0, 5/17/12 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Professional sports facilities: safety
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires owners of professional sports
facilities to post notices of emergency contact
information.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
1. Makes it unlawful for any person attending a
professional sporting event to throw any object on or
across the court or field of play with the intent to
interfere with play or distract a player. (Penal Code
(PEN) Section 243.83)
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2. Makes it unlawful to enter upon the court or field of
play without permission from an authorized person after
the authorized participants have entered the court or
field to begin the sporting event and until the
participants of play have completed the playing time of
the sporting event. (PEN Section 243.83)
3. Requires the owner of the facility in which a
professional sporting event is to be held to provide a
notice specifying the unlawful activity prohibited by
this section and the punishment for engaging in that
prohibited activity. (PEN Section 243.83)
4. Requires the notice shall be prominently displayed
throughout the facility or may be provided by some other
manner, such as on a big screen or by a general public
announcement. In addition, notice shall be posted at
all controlled entry areas of the sporting facility.
Failure to provide the notice shall not be a defense to
a violation of this section. (PEN Section 243.83)
This bill:
1. Requires the owner of any professional sports facility
to post written notices displaying the text message
number and telephone number to contact security in order
to report a violent act.
2. Provides that the notices must be visible from a
majority of seating in the stands at all times, at
controlled entry areas, and at parking facilities which
are part of the professional sports arena.
Background
In response to the violence at the Los Angeles Dodger
Stadium, Dodger officials instituted greater safety
measures, and tightened their enforcement of their Fan Code
of Conduct, including a ban on all tailgating before games.
In fact all 30 teams in Major League Baseball have long
had their own code of conduct, according to information
found on MLB.com. It is also a case-by-case team decision
how that code will be communicated to the fans. The vast
majority of the teams (24 of 30) have a fan phone or text
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number, to which fans may report unruly behavior and many
stadiums have visible signage with the numbers displayed.
In the National Basketball Association (NBA), their Fan
Code of Conduct, adopted on February 17, 2005, sets forth
expected standards of decorum for all fans attending NBA
games, is posted prominently in all NBA arenas, and public
address announcements concerning some of its key elements
are made during each NBA game. Guests who fail to adhere
to these standards are subject to ejection and revocation
of season tickets.
The NBA Guidelines also set forth minimum standards
regarding the serving of alcohol, including the provision
that alcohol be served only until the start of the fourth
quarter, restrictions on the size (24 ounces) and number
(two) of alcoholic beverages sold per individual customer,
the training of arena personnel in effective alcohol
management, and the maintenance of designated driver
programs in each NBA arena.
The National Football League (NFL) and all 32 NFL clubs
have followed a fan code of conduct to help promote a
"positive fan environment at NFL stadiums," since November
18, 2008, according to NFL.com, "The fan code of conduct is
designed to set clear expectations and encourage a stadium
environment that is enjoyable for all fans. Teams may add
additional provisions to the standard code based on local
circumstances or preferences. Each team will communicate
its code of conduct during the preseason to season-ticket
holders and fans through mailings, online, and in-stadium
signage, and other messages."
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/5/12)
California Association of Licensed Investigators
California Police Chiefs Association
Crime Victims United of California
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According the author's office,
this bill is an extremely modest step to restore a modicum
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of Californians' faith in their ability to safely attend
professional games. In the last year there have been
several high profile attacks at games in Los Angeles and
San Francisco, and the random nature of the crimes coupled
with its apparent increase in occurrence, leads the author
to believe the Legislature needs to act. This bill is
necessary to help fans report potentially dangerous
situations before they escalate to senseless violence.
The recent high profile attack last year at Dodger Stadium,
in Los Angeles, on Brian Stow reassure the necessity of
this bill. According to the Los Angeles Police Department,
Stow was leaving Dodger Stadium along with several of his
friends, following the conclusion of the Los Angeles
Dodgers vs. the San Francisco Giants baseball game. The
two suspects, who were wearing Dodger attire, began
taunting the victims because of their affiliation with the
San Francisco Giants. As the victim and his friends
attempted to walk away from the suspects, the victim was
hit from behind and fell to the ground. The victim's
friends attempted to intervene and they too were hit by the
suspects.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 72-0, 5/17/12
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos,
Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson, Eng,
Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Beth Gaines, Galgiani,
Garrick, Gatto, Gordon, Gorell, Grove, Hagman, Halderman,
Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Hill, Huber,
Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lara, Logue, Ma,
Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Morrell,
Nestande, Nielsen, Olsen, Pan, V. Manuel P�rez,
Portantino, Silva, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres,
Valadao, Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, John A. P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Cedillo, Donnelly, Fletcher, Bonnie
Lowenthal, Norby, Perea, Skinner, Yamada
JJA:k 7/5/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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