SB 221 California Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Crimes: stalking.

Summary

Existing law makes a person who willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows or willfully and maliciously harasses another person and who makes a credible threat with the intent to place that person in reasonable fear for the person's safety, or the safety of the person's immediate family, guilty of the crime of stalking, punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony. This bill would expand the meaning of "credible threat" to include threats to a person's pet, service animal, emotional support animal, or horse. By changing the definition 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.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Aug 2025

Senate Passage

Jun 2025

Assembly Passage

Sep 2025

Signed into Law

Oct 2025

Introduced Jan 23, 2025 Signed Oct 10, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

07/17/25 - Amended Assembly → 09/10/25 - Enrolled · 3 edits · Sep 10, 2025

MINOR

The Senate removed the Assembly's expansion of the stalking crime to independently cover fear for the safety of a person's pet, service animal, emotional support animal, or horse. The enrolled bill retains only the narrower change expanding the definition of 'credible threat' to include threats directed at those animals, meaning an animal threat can help establish that a credible threat was made but the victim must still be placed in fear for their own safety or their immediate family's safety.

Scope change

Narrowed. The Assembly version would have made it a standalone stalking offense to place someone in fear for the safety of their pet, service animal, emotional support animal, or horse. The enrolled version limits the change to expanding what counts as a 'credible threat,' so animal-directed threats are relevant evidence but the victim must still be placed in fear for their own or their family's safety.

SCOPE

Subdivision (a) no longer lists 'the safety of that person's pet, service animal, emotional support animal, or horse' as a basis for the stalking crime. The Assembly version allowed a person to be guilty of stalking if they placed another in reasonable fear for the safety of their animal; the enrolled version requires the fear to be for the person's own safety or their immediate family's safety.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'credible threat' in subdivision (g) still includes threats to a person's pet, service animal, emotional support animal, or horse, but this now functions only as a type of threat that can establish the credible threat element rather than as an independent target of fear under the crime itself.

TECHNICAL

The legislative counsel's digest was corrected. The Assembly version contained a garbled sentence merging two separate descriptions; the enrolled version cleanly states the bill expands the meaning of 'credible threat' to include threats to animals.

Floor votes · Senate Jun 2, 2025 · Assembly Sep 3, 2025

How they voted

36–0

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 40

Jun 2, 2025

D Democratic30

26 Yea 4

86% Yea

R Republican10

10 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Oct 10, 2025

Signed into law

Approved by the Governor.

legislature

Sep 8, 2025

Upper · Passed

Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2599.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

upper

Sep 3, 2025

Introduced

In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

upper

Sep 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 2871.) Ordered to the Senate.

lower

Aug 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 29).

lower

Jul 17, 2025

Lower · Passed

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

lower

Jul 16, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (July 15).

lower

Jul 1, 2025

Lower · Passed

July 1 hearing postponed by committee.

lower

Jun 17, 2025

Lower · Passed

June 17 hearing postponed by committee.

lower

Jun 9, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

lower

Jun 2, 2025

Upper · Passed

Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 1390.) Ordered to the Assembly.

upper

May 23, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1192.) (May 23).

upper

Apr 1, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 611.) (April 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Feb 5, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

upper

Jan 23, 2025

Introduced

Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

upper

1 primary · 12 co-sponsors