AB 1537 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Peace officers: secondary employment.

Summary

Existing law provides that every executive or ministerial officer, employee, or appointee of the State of California, or any county or city therein, or any political subdivision thereof, who knowingly asks, receives, or agrees to receive any emolument, gratuity, or reward, or any promise thereof excepting such as may be authorized by law for doing an official act, is guilty of a misdemeanor. Existing law exempts from that offense certain employment by a peace officer while off duty, as specified. Existing law also provides that a peace officer shall not be prohibited from engaging in other employment while off duty, as specified. This bill would, notwithstanding those provisions, prohibit certain peace officers from engaging in any form of secondary employment, including contract based or as an individual contractor, that involves engaging in arresting, detaining, transporting, or deporting individuals pursuant to federal or out-of-state immigration laws. The bill would provide that failure to comply with this provision may constitute, for certain purposes, an act of serious misconduct and that it is grounds for decertification as a peace officer. The bill would require certain peace officers to report to their employing law enforcement agency any conditional offer of secondary employment relating to immigration enforcement. The bill would require the law enforcement agency to maintain specified records related to secondary employment. By imposing additional duties on local law enforcement agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also explicitly state that these records related to secondary employment of certain peace officers are public records for the purposes of the California Public Records Act. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Aug 2026

Assembly Passage

May 2026

Senate Passage

Aug 2026

Governor

Introduced Jan 5, 2026 Last action Aug 30, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 5 comparisons

What changed between versions

08/19/26 - Amended Senate → 08/21/26 - Amended Senate · 4 edits · Aug 21, 2026

MODERATE

The Senate amendment expands the prohibition on peace officer secondary employment from covering only federal immigration enforcement to also covering out-of-state immigration enforcement activities. Three new legislative findings were added citing Texas SB 4 and Florida SB 2-C as examples of state-level deportation schemes that California officers might be drawn into through secondary employment. This broadens the bill's reach to prevent California peace officers from participating in other states' immigration enforcement programs.

SCOPE

The core prohibition in Penal Code Section 70(f)(1) was expanded from banning secondary employment involving 'arresting, detaining, transporting, or deporting individuals pursuant to federal immigration laws' to 'pursuant to federal or out-of-state immigration laws.' This means a California peace officer could now be decertified for working as a contractor under another state's immigration enforcement program, not just federal ones.

New legislative finding (g) states that the Legislature has previously recognized that entangling state and local agencies with federal immigration enforcement diverts resources and blurs accountability lines, and notes that Texas and Florida have sought to enact their own state-level deportation laws allowing law enforcement officers to take on immigration enforcement roles.

New legislative finding (h) describes Texas SB 4, which the Fifth Circuit allowed to go into effect in May 2026, as permitting local law enforcement to arrest individuals under state-level 'illegal entry' and 'illegal re-entry' charges and allowing state judges to issue deportation orders with prison sentences up to 20 years.

New legislative finding (i) describes Florida Senate Bill 2-C, signed in 2025, which creates a State Board of Immigration Enforcement within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to coordinate and facilitate mass deportation, characterized as running counter to California's commitment to protect constitutional rights.

06/25/26 - Amended Senate → 08/19/26 - Amended Senate · 5 edits · Aug 19, 2026

MODERATE

The August 19 Senate amendment narrows several key provisions of AB 1537. The misconduct standard is reduced from 'dishonesty and serious misconduct' to just 'serious misconduct,' the reporting obligation is narrowed from any offer involving immigration enforcement (plus the officer's response) to only a 'conditional offer' (an official job offer), and the records requirement is restructured to focus on reports and investigation findings rather than employer names and headcounts. A new sentence in the legislative findings explicitly protects public access to records under the Public Records Act.

ENFORCEMENT

A violation of the secondary employment prohibition is no longer characterized as an 'act of dishonesty' - it is now only 'an act of serious misconduct.' This removes one basis for decertification and narrows the severity of the finding.

REQUIREMENT

The reporting requirement is narrowed. Previously, peace officers had to report any offer of secondary employment involving immigration enforcement AND their response to that offer. Now they only need to report a 'conditional offer' (defined as an official offer to accept a position). The obligation to report one's response to the offer is eliminated.

The records maintenance requirement in subdivision (g) is restructured. Previously it required agencies to maintain 'the names of secondary employers and the number of peace officers employed by each secondary employer.' Now it requires maintenance of records falling under the reporting paragraph, records related to secondary employment described in the prohibition, and records of investigations with sustained findings of violations.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'offer' (any communication inviting an individual to fill a position) is removed and replaced with 'conditional offer' (a communication officially offering an individual to accept a position). This raises the threshold for what triggers the reporting duty - informal inquiries or invitations no longer count.

SCOPE

A new sentence is added to legislative finding (f) stating that nothing in the act shall be construed as a limitation on the right of public access to records regarding secondary employment of peace officers, reinforcing Public Records Act protections.

05/18/26 - Amended Assembly → 06/25/26 - Amended Senate · 6 edits · Jun 25, 2026

MODERATE

The Senate amended AB 1537 in several substantive ways: it added a military service exemption, narrowed the decertification standard from automatic to discretionary ('may constitute grounds'), changed the reporting trigger from any 'offer' to a 'conditional offer,' and significantly narrowed the public records provision so that only records tied to the specific reporting requirement and sustained investigation findings are publicly accessible rather than all secondary employment records.

SCOPE

Added an explicit exemption for service with any branch of the United States Armed Forces, meaning peace officers can still serve in the military without violating the bill's prohibition on immigration-related secondary employment.

Narrowed the public records provision. The Assembly version made ALL records related to secondary employment of peace officers public and required agencies to maintain names of secondary employers and officer counts. The Senate version limits public records to only those falling under the specific reporting requirement (paragraph 3) and investigation records where there is a sustained finding of a violation.

Removed the specific reference to the United States Department of Homeland Security and its contractors from the prohibition text. The Senate version uses purely functional language describing the prohibited activity (arresting, detaining, transporting, or deporting individuals pursuant to federal immigration laws) without naming a specific agency.

ENFORCEMENT

Changed the decertification standard from 'is an act of dishonesty and constitutes grounds for decertification' to 'is an act of dishonesty and constitutes serious misconduct and may constitute grounds for decertification.' The word 'may' makes decertification discretionary rather than automatic, and adds a reference to Section 13510.8 as an additional statutory basis.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the reporting requirement from any 'offer of, request for, or attempt at' secondary employment involving immigration enforcement to only a 'conditional offer of secondary employment subject to paragraph (1).' This narrows what officers must report - they no longer need to report mere requests or attempts, only formal conditional offers.

DEFINITION

Renamed the defined term from 'Offer' to 'Conditional Offer' and changed its definition from 'any communication...inviting an individual to fill a position' to 'any communication...officially offering an individual to accept a position.' This raises the threshold for what triggers the reporting duty.

01/05/26 - Introduced → 05/18/26 - Amended Assembly · 7 edits · May 18, 2026

MODERATE

The amended version of AB 1537 significantly narrows the scope of the prohibition on peace officer secondary employment in immigration enforcement, while adding legislative findings, expanding reporting and record-keeping duties, and tightening definitions. The bill now targets only officers who personally engage in arresting, detaining, transporting, or deporting individuals under federal immigration law, rather than any entity that 'assists with' immigration enforcement. It also narrows which peace officers are covered by limiting the definition to specific categories under Sections 830.1, 830.2, and 830.5.

SCOPE

A new Section 1 adds legislative findings declaring that immigrants are essential to California, that secondary employment in immigration enforcement is a 'glaring breach of trust,' that ICE training has been described as deficient and defective, and that the public deserves transparency about these arrangements.

The prohibition on secondary employment is narrowed from covering any entity that 'assists with or engages in immigration enforcement' to only covering employment where the officer personally engages in 'arresting, detaining, transporting, or deporting individuals pursuant to federal immigration laws.' This excludes officers who work for entities involved in immigration enforcement but do not perform those specific acts.

ELIGIBILITY

The definition of 'peace officer' subject to the new restrictions is narrowed from all peace officers under Chapter 4.5 (Section 830 et seq.) to only those defined in subdivisions (a) and (c) of Section 830.1, subdivisions (a) through (d) of Section 830.2, and Section 830.5. This excludes many categories of peace officers such as certain state troopers, probation officers, and other specialized officers.

REQUIREMENT

Officers must now report not only offers of secondary employment involving immigration enforcement but also their response to the offer (acceptance or rejection). New definitions of 'offer' and 'response' are added to clarify what must be reported.

ENFORCEMENT

Law enforcement agencies are now required to maintain records of the names of secondary employers and the number of peace officers employed by each secondary employer, and these records are explicitly designated as public records under the California Public Records Act.

TECHNICAL

A severability clause is added (subdivision (h)), stating that if any provision is held invalid, the remaining provisions continue in effect.

Gender-neutral language changes throughout: 'his or her' is replaced with 'their' in all instances. Section numbering is adjusted to accommodate the new findings section (original Section 1 becomes Section 2, state mandates provision becomes Section 3).

Floor votes · Senate Aug 30, 2026 · Assembly May 27, 2026

How they voted

27–11

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 40

Aug 30, 2026

D Democratic30

27 Yea 1 Nay 2

90% Yea

R Republican10

10 Nay

100% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Aug 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling.

lower

Aug 30, 2026

Introduced

In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

lower

Aug 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 27. Noes 11.).

upper

Aug 21, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

upper

Aug 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

upper

Aug 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (August 13).

upper

Aug 3, 2026

Committee

In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

upper

Jun 25, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Jun 24, 2026

Introduced

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 1.) (June 23).

upper

Jun 10, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

upper

May 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 51. Noes 21.)

lower

May 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

lower

May 14, 2026

Introduced

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 10. Noes 4.) (May 14).

lower

Apr 29, 2026

Committee

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

lower

Mar 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 3.) (March 3). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Feb 2, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

lower

Jan 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee February 5.

lower

1 primary · 13 co-sponsors