Existing law makes it a crime for a person having the custody of any record, map, or book, or of any paper or proceeding of any court, filed or deposited in any public office, or placed in their hands for any purpose to steal, remove, secrete, destroy, mutilate, deface, alter, or falsify, or to allow another to do any of those acts, with regard to the whole, or any part of, the record, map, book, paper, or proceeding. Existing law provides that if those acts are done by an officer, it is a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for 2, 3, or 4 years, and, if done by a person who is not an officer, it is either a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for 16 months or 2 or 3 years, or a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $1,000, or by both.

This bill would clarify that, for the purposes of these provisions, a social worker employed by a county is not an officer.

Existing law establishes the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, which may adjudge a child to be a dependent or ward of the court under certain circumstances. Under existing law, if a minor has been, or has a petition filed with the court to be, adjudged a dependent child of the court, and it appears the minor needs immediate emergency treatment, a social worker may, without court order, authorize medical and other care for a minor, to be provided by a licensed physician and surgeon or dentist, as applicable.