Harriet’s Bill Alert - 2026 bill
In partnership with the Placer DA’s E+R Project - here are a list of issues / bills we are tracking for the 2026 session. You can find the bill status here.
1. Expansion of Mental Health Diversion
Core Concern Theme: Accountability vs. access
Bills/Trends to Watch:
Expansion of diversion eligibility (including more serious offenses)
Lowering thresholds for qualification
Increased reliance on expert testimony without deep subject-matter expertise
Why Survivor Groups Are Concerned:
Seen as creating a“loophole” for serious offenders
Concerns about repeat victimization
Frustration when: Violent or exploitative crimes are framed as mental health issues
Op-eds and DA voices increasingly argue:“Treatment without accountability undermines both justice and recovery.”
Bill to Support
AB 46 – Mental Health Diversion: Judge Discretion–Restores greater judicial discretion in mental health diversion cases and limits diversion for defendants who pose public safety risks. SUPPORT
SB 1373 – Mental Health Diversion Reform--Limits misuse of mental health diversion by expanding judicial discretion, requiring stronger evidence, and excluding certain high-risk violent offenses. SUPPORT
2. Early Release / Parole Expansion Policies
Core Concern Theme: Victim retraumatization + safety risk
Common Legislative Trends:
Expanded eligibility for:
Elderly parole
Youth offender parole expansions
Good-time credits / accelerated release
Reduced time between parole hearings
Why It’s Raising Flags:
Victims forced into repeated parole hearings
Families feel the system prioritizes:
Rehabilitation timelines overtrauma timelines
Key friction point: “Closure is disrupted when the system keeps reopening the case.”
Bill to Support
AB 2232 – Parole Denial Term /Marsy’s Law: Demands increased accountability from CDCR on parole advancement decisions.
AB 2727 – Sex Offense / Elderly Parole Eligibility: Would allow certain sex offenders to be eligible for parole only at 75+ after at least 30 years served– an improvement from current law.
CDCR Accountability & Audits (Ongoing Oversight Efforts)Support ongoing and proposed audits of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) practices, particularly related to early release, parole decisions, and victim notification processes. Increased oversight is critical to ensure transparency, evaluate the real-world impacts of recent policy changes, and restore trust for victims and communities.
3. Fentanyl accountability & awareness
Core Issue: Aligning policy with the deadly reality of fentanyl and ensuring the conversation continues
Why It Matters:
Families are still losing loved ones to poisoning—not accidents
Accountability tools remain inconsistent
Bill to Support
AB 1667 / SB 432– Makes furnishing fentanyl to minors a serious felony (Support)
SB 1071– Corrects death classification from “accident” to homicide (Support)
SB 1234- This bill would require, if a juvenile court orders a parent or guardian to submit to testing for controlled substances, that test panel include testing for fentanyl. (Support)
4. Strengthening protections for victims
4. Survivor safety and enforcement gaps
Why It Matters:
Survivors face ongoing risk even after legal intervention
Enforcement tools must match the seriousness of the threat
Bill to Support
SB 871– GPS monitoring for restraining orders (Support)
AB 1816– Allows probation to be extended for felony sex offenders
AB 2237– Extends probation terms for misdemeanor sex offenders
SB 1022+1027-Establish a statewide task force called the CA Multidisciplinary Alliance to Stop Trafficking
AB 1825 (Krell): Requires consideration of violent history and prior state hospital commitment in mental health parole assessments.
Current Location: Assembly Appropriations
AB 1946– Expands protections and accountability measures related to CSAMSB-1217- Require the DOJ to establish the Nonconsensual Intimate Image Clearinghouse to allow individuals who were exploited in California to submit a request for the removal of nonconsensual intimate images from covered platforms.
AB 2534–Includes forced marriage as it relates to child marriage under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act
AB 1705 (Bauer-Kahan): Requires pornographic sites to verify consent and age of depicted individuals under penalty of perjury.
5. DUI accountability & public safety
Core Issue: Preventing repeat harm and recognizing impact
Why It Matters:
DUI is often treated as a lower-level offense despite deadly consequences
Survivors are pushing for stronger deterrence and accountability
Bill to Support
AB 1685 / SB 953– Increased DMV consequences for gross vehicular manslaughter
AB 1687–Allows for license revocation after three or more convictions within a ten-year period
AB 1830– Ignition interlock program
SB 907– DUI enhancements for repeat offenders
AB 1546– Sentencing /increases jail time for DUIs
AB 1662– DMV points after diversion
6. Continued Funding for Victim Services & Mental Health Support (State Budget & Prop 36 Implementation)
Core Issue: Sustaining critical support systems for victims, families, and communities
Why It Matters:
Programs like Family Justice Centers, Child Advocacy/Interview Centers, domestic violence services, and trauma-informed careare essential to protecting vulnerable populations
Mental health and addiction services must be accessible, coordinated, and consistently funded
Without sustained investment, both victims and at-risk individuals are left without support—leading to continued cycles of harm
Policy Focus:
Ensure continued and stable state budget funding for: Child Interview Centers, DV programs and more
Victim services and trauma recovery programs
Support implementation of Prop 36 funding for treatment and mental health programs
7. CDAA BAD Bills to watch
Victims and survivors across California are increasingly concerned about a growing number of criminal justice proposals that they believe risk eroding accountability, weakening long-standing legal safeguards, and further excluding victims from the policy conversation. While California has seen meaningful advancement on many important public safety issues, survivors are also recognizing an underlying trend: a growing effort to undercut legal protections that communities and victims have long relied upon within the justice system.
Survivor Concerns Include:
Lowering evidentiary standards in post-conviction proceedings
Expanding post-conviction relief and habeas corpus pathways
Limiting prosecutorial and investigative tools
Increasing diversion opportunities for more serious offenses
Repeated parole hearings and victim retraumatization
Reduced transparency and accountability in release decisions
Policies that prioritize procedural reforms over victim stability and public safety
Survivor Perspective Talking Points:
Survivors are not opposing reform—they are asking for balance
Victim voices and lived experiences should be considered alongside policy proposals– we are women, minorities, children etc.
Accountability, truth in sentencing, and public trust remain essential components of justice
Significant criminal justice changes deserve thoughtful review with community and victim input included
AB 1595 (Schultz):Lowers standards for habeas corpus by removing the 'materiality requirement for false evidence and loosening the 'new evidence' standard
AB 1886 (Elhawary):Removes the exclusion for wards in out-of-home placements from the 12-month probation limitation, effectively capping their probation duration.
AB 1917 (Schultz):Restrictsinformationsto only charge offenses named in an order of commitment, requiring a motion to reinstate any dismissed charges.
AB 1958 (Kalra):Expands the Racial Justice Act to disparities in plea negotiations and diversion based on 'similar conduct' rather than 'similarly situated' individuals
AB 2014 (Elhawary):Authorizes habeas corpus petitions based on evidence or arguments likely to trigger gender-based stereotypes used by the prosecution.
AB 2108 (Sharp-Collins):Requires prosecutors todetermineeligibility for theft diversion programs based on specific criteria for shoplifting and vandalism.
AB 2122 (Kalra):Prohibits the issuance of arrest warrants for failure to appear if the underlying charge is an infraction
AB 2669 (Gipson):Requires prosecutors to meet and confer to avoid immigration consequences in pleas and creates a rebuttable presumption of violation if offers are declined.
SB 1173 (Caballero):Requires courts to instruct juries on 'lesser related' offenses if requested by the defendant.
SB 1210 (Weber Pierson):Removes the 'shared' designation for gang databases, making oversight provisions apply to all gang databases regardless of accessibility.
