Hate crimes: political affiliation.
AB 1535
California Bills
20250AB__153598AMD INTRODUCED 2026-01-05 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2026-03-05 2025 AB AMD Introduced by Assembly Member Davies LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Davies
An act to amend
Section 422.76 of the Penal Code, relating to hate crimes. hate crimes Hate crimes: political affiliation. Existing law defines “hate crime” as a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of actual or perceived characteristics of the victim, including, among other things, race, religion, disability, and sexual orientation. Except as provided, existing law requires the fact that a person committed or attempted to commit a felony that is a hate crime to be considered a circumstance in aggravation of the crime in imposing a specified term.
This bill, the Hortman-Kirk Political Violence Prevention Act, in the case of any felony conviction, would authorize the court to consider as a circumstance in aggravation in sentencing the fact that the defendant’s conduct was motivated, in whole or in part, by the victim’s actual or perceived political affiliation. The bill would define “political affiliation” to mean the state of belonging to a political party, the endorsement of a political party or a platform of a political party, or the endorsement of a politician or a platform of a politician.
By increasing the punishment for a crime, the 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. MAJORITY NO YES YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
This act shall be known, and may be cited as, the Hortman-Kirk Political Violence Prevention Act. <caml:Num>SEC. 2.</caml:Num><caml:ActionLine action="IS_AMENDED" xlink:href="urn:caml:codes:PEN:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'PART'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'1.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'TITLE'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'11.6.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'CHAPTER'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'1.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawSection%5Bcaml%3ANum%3D'422.55.'%5D)" xlink:label="fractionType: LAW_SECTION" xlink:type="locator">Section 422.55 of the <caml:DocName>Penal Code</caml:DocName> is amended to read:</caml:ActionLine><caml:Fragment><caml:LawSection id="id_BFF0435E-DD6A-4D07-9457-4CA8789E4972"><caml:Num>422.55.</caml:Num><caml:LawSectionVersion id="id_DFFB3331-9E23-4F44-B9B1-C8538A9CDBE1"><caml:Content><xhtml:p>For purposes of this title, and for purposes of all other state law unless an explicit provision of law or the context clearly requires a different meaning, the following shall apply:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(a)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Hate crime” means a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of one or more of the following actual or perceived characteristics of the victim:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Disability.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(2)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Gender.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(3)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Nationality.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(4)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Race or ethnicity.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(5)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Religion.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(6)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Sexual orientation.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(7)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Political affiliation. </xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(8)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(b)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Hate crime” includes, but is not limited to, a violation of
Section 422.6.</xhtml:p></caml:Content></caml:LawSectionVersion></caml:LawSection></caml:Fragment></caml:BillSection><caml:BillSection id="id_38168007-BCA7-46C3-8F12-DA6376E45D91"><caml:Num>SEC. 3.</caml:Num><caml:ActionLine action="IS_AMENDED" xlink:href="urn:caml:codes:PEN:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'PART'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'1.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'TITLE'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'11.6.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'CHAPTER'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'1.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawSection%5Bcaml%3ANum%3D'422.56.'%5D)" xlink:label="fractionType: LAW_SECTION" xlink:type="locator">Section 422.56 of the <caml:DocName>Penal Code</caml:DocName> is amended to read:</caml:ActionLine><caml:Fragment><caml:LawSection id="id_A4A7151C-3D62-4D34-8D79-95168CC39407"><caml:Num>422.56.</caml:Num><caml:LawSectionVersion id="id_CD7FE898-F6B9-447B-BEDA-AA96F7A77F7E"><caml:Content><xhtml:p>For purposes of this title, the following
definitions shall apply:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(a)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics” includes advocacy for, identification with, or being on the premises owned or rented by, or adjacent to, any of the following: a community center, educational facility, family, individual, office, meeting hall, place of worship, private institution, public agency, library, or other entity, group, or person that has, or is identified with people who have, one or more of the characteristics listed in the definition of “hate crime” under paragraphs (1) to (6), inclusive, of subdivision (
a) of
Section 422.55.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(b)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Disability” includes mental disability and physical disability, as defined in
Section of the Government Code, regardless of whether those disabilities are temporary, permanent, congenital, or acquired by heredity, accident, injury, advanced age, or illness.
This definition is declaratory of existing law.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(c)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Gender” means sex, and includes a person’s gender identity and gender expression. “Gender expression” means a person’s gender-related appearance and behavior regardless of whether it is stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(d)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“In whole or in part because of” means that the bias motivation must be a cause in fact of the offense, whether or not other causes also exist.
When multiple concurrent motives exist, the prohibited bias must be a substantial factor in bringing about the particular result. There is no requirement that the bias be a main factor, or that the crime would not have been committed but for the actual or perceived characteristic. This subdivision does not constitute a change in, but is declaratory of, existing law under In re M.S. (1995) 10 Cal.4th and People v.
Superior Court (Aishman) (1995) 10 Cal.4th 735.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(e)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Nationality” means country of origin, immigration status, including citizenship, and national origin.
This definition is declaratory of existing law.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(f)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Political affiliation” means the state of belonging to a political party, the endorsement of a political party or a platform of a political party, or the endorsement of a politician or a platform of a politician. </xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(g)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Race or ethnicity” includes ancestry, color, and ethnic background.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(h)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Religion” includes all aspects of religious belief, observance, and practice and includes agnosticism and atheism.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(i)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Sexual orientation” means heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(j)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Victim” includes, but is not limited to, a community center, educational facility, entity, family, group, individual, office, meeting hall, person, place of worship, private institution, public agency, library, or other victim or intended victim of the offense.</xhtml:p></caml:Content></caml:LawSectionVersion></caml:LawSection></caml:Fragment></caml:BillSection>"?>
SEC.
Section 422.76 of the Penal Code is amended to read: 422.76. (
a) Except where the court imposes additional punishment under
Section 422.75 or in a case in which the person has been convicted of an offense subject to
Section 1170.8, the fact that a person committed a felony or attempted to commit a felony that is a hate crime shall be considered a circumstance in aggravation of the crime in imposing a term under subdivision (
b) of
Section 1170. (b)
(1) In the case of any felony conviction, the fact that the defendant’s conduct was motivated, in whole or in part, by the victim’s actual or perceived political affiliation may be considered as a circumstance in aggravation in sentencing. (2) “Political affiliation” means the state of belonging to a political party, the endorsement of a political party or a platform of a political party, or the endorsement of a politician or a platform of a politician.
SEC. 3. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 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