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<ns0:Id>20250AB__154599INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-01-05</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Krell</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Name>Krell</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to add Section 411 to the Penal Code, relating to crimes. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>crimes</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Targeted attacks on journalists.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing laws provide for increased punishments for certain crimes committed, in whole or in part, because of one or more specified actual or perceived characteristics of the victim, including, but not limited to, race, gender, or sexual orientation.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would provide enhanced penalties for the commission of an offense that is a targeted attack on a person who is reasonably identifiable as a journalist, as defined, or on property reasonably identifiable as belonging to a journalist or the entity that journalist represents. The bill would define “targeted attack” as a criminal offense that is motivated by the victim’s status as a journalist or intended to interfere with a journalist in the performance of their work as a journalist. If the underlying offense is a felony, the bill would create an enhancement punishable by an additional term of
one, two, or three years imprisonment, as provided. The bill would authorize a court to strike any additional term imposed by this section if the court determines that there are mitigating circumstances and states on the record the reasons for striking the additional punishment.</html:p>
<html:p>By creating a new sentencing enhancement, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.</html:p>
<html:p>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.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.</html:p>
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<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
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<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Section 411 is added to the
<ns0:DocName>Penal Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:Num>411.</ns0:Num>
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(a)
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If a person commits an offense that is a targeted attack on a person reasonably identifiable as a journalist or property reasonably identifiable as belonging to a journalist or the entity they represent, or attempts to commit an offense that is a targeted attack on a person reasonably identifiable as a journalist or property reasonably identifiable as belonging to a journalist or the entity that they represent, the underlying offense shall be punished as follows:
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<html:p>
(1)
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If the underlying offense is a misdemeanor, upon conviction, it shall be punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by an additional fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment.
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(2)
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If the underlying offense is a felony, upon conviction, it shall be punishable by an additional term of one, two, or three years in the state prison, if the underlying felony is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison, or if the offense is punishable pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170, by an additional term of one, two, or three years.
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<html:p>
(3)
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Except in the case of a person punished under paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of this section, a person who commits a felony that is described in this subdivision, and who voluntarily acts in concert with another person, either personally or by aiding and abetting another person, shall receive an additional two, three, or four years at the court’s discretion.
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(4)
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For the purpose of imposing an additional term under paragraph (2) or (3) of subdivision (b), it shall
be a factor in aggravation that the defendant personally used a firearm in the commission of the offense. Nothing in this subdivision shall preclude a court from also imposing a sentence enhancement pursuant to Section 12022.5, 12022.53, or 12022.55, or any other law.
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<html:p>
(5)
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A person who is punished pursuant to this section for a felony offense also shall receive an additional term of one year for each prior felony conviction on charges brought and tried separately in which it was found by the trier of fact or admitted by the defendant that the crime was a targeted attack on a person reasonably identifiable as a journalist, or property reasonably identifiable as belonging to a journalist. This additional term shall only apply where a sentence enhancement is not imposed pursuant to Section 667 or 667.5.
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<html:p>
(b)
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For the purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
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A “journalist” means a representative of any news service, online news service, newspaper, or radio or television station or network.
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(2)
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A “targeted attack” means any criminal offense that is motivated by the victim’s status as a journalist or intended to interfere with a journalist in the performance of their work as a journalist.
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<html:p>
(c)
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Any additional term authorized by this section shall not be imposed unless the allegation is charged in the accusatory pleading and admitted by the defendant or found to be true by the trier of fact.
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(d)
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Nothing in this section shall preclude or prohibit prosecution under any other provision of law. A term imposed pursuant to this section shall be, in addition to any other punishment provided by law, subject to the
limitations described in Section 18.5.
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(e)
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Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the court may strike any additional term imposed by this section if the court determines that there are mitigating circumstances and states on the record the reasons for striking the additional punishment.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII
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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 Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII
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B of the California Constitution.
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