BILL NUMBER: AB 545 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 19, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Melendez
FEBRUARY 23, 2015
An act to amend Section 273.5 243 of
the Penal Code, relating to domestic violence.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 545, as amended, Melendez. Domestic violence.
Under existing law, a battery committed against a spouse, a person
with whom the defendant is cohabitating, a person who is the parent
of the defendant's child, a former spouse, a fiancé or fiancée, or a
person with whom the defendant currently has, or has previously had,
a dating or engagement relationship, is punishable by a fine not
exceeding $2,000, or by imprisonment in a county jail for a period of
not more than one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. If
probation is granted, existing law requires the defendant to complete
a batterer's treatment program. If probation is granted in the case
of a person who has previously been convicted of a violation of these
provisions, existing law requires that the person be imprisoned for
not less than 48 hours.
This bill would require a person who has a previous conviction for
the above-specified offense to be imprisoned for not less than 5
days if probation is granted for the subsequent offense, and would
require the person to be imprisoned for not less than 10 days if the
person has previously been convicted of willfully inflicting corporal
injury resulting in a traumatic condition upon a spouse or former
spouse, cohabitant or former cohabitant, fiancé or fiancee, or
someone with whom the offender has, or previously had, an engagement
or dating relationship, or the mother or father of the offender's
child. By increasing the punishment for 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.
Existing law makes it a crime, punishable by a fine, by
imprisonment, or by both a fine and imprisonment, for a person to
willfully inflict corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition
upon a person with whom the defendant has been in a specified
domestic relationship.
This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these
provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no
yes . State-mandated local program: no
yes .
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 243 of the Penal
Code is amended to read:
243. (a) A battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two
thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not
exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(b) When a battery is committed against the person of a peace
officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical
technician, lifeguard, security officer, custody assistant, process
server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, animal control
officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the performance of
his or her duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace
officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the
duties required of him or her as a peace officer while also employed
in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard
or patrolman, or a nonsworn employee of a probation department
engaged in the performance of his or her duties, whether on or off
duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical
care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, and
the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know
that the victim is a peace officer, custodial officer, firefighter,
emergency medical technician, lifeguard, security officer, custody
assistant, process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer,
animal control officer, or search and rescue member engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, nonsworn employee of a probation
department, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency
medical care, the battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two
thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not
exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(c) (1) When a battery is committed against a custodial officer,
firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server,
traffic officer, or animal control officer engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, whether on or off duty, or a
nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, whether on or off duty, or a
physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care
outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, and the
person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that
the victim is a nonsworn employee of a probation department,
custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician,
lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, or animal control officer
engaged in the performance of his or her duties, or a physician or
nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, and an injury is
inflicted on that victim, the battery is punishable by a fine of not
more than two thousand dollars ($2,000), by imprisonment in a county
jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment,
or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for 16
months, or two or three years.
(2) When the battery specified in paragraph (1) is committed
against a peace officer engaged in the performance of his or her
duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is
in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties
required of him or her as a peace officer while also employed in a
private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or
patrolman and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably
should know that the victim is a peace officer engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, the battery is punishable by a fine
of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment
in a county jail not exceeding one year or pursuant to subdivision
(h) of Section 1170 for 16 months, or two or three years, or by both
that fine and imprisonment.
(d) When a battery is committed against any person and serious
bodily injury is inflicted on the person, the battery is punishable
by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or
imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for two,
three, or four years.
(e) (1) When a battery is committed against a spouse, a person
with whom the defendant is cohabiting, a person who is the parent of
the defendant's child, former spouse, fiancé, or fiancée, or a person
with whom the defendant currently has, or has previously had, a
dating or engagement relationship, the battery is punishable by a
fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment
in a county jail for a period of not more than one year, or by both
that fine and imprisonment. If probation is granted, or the execution
or imposition of the sentence is suspended, it shall be a condition
thereof that the defendant participate in, for no less than one year,
and successfully complete, a batterer's treatment program, as
described in Section 1203.097, or if none is available, another
appropriate counseling program designated by the court. However, this
provision shall not be construed as requiring a city, a county, or a
city and county to provide a new program or higher level of service
as contemplated by Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.
(2) Upon conviction of a violation of this subdivision, if
probation is granted, the conditions of probation may include, in
lieu of a fine, one or both of the following requirements:
(A) That the defendant make payments to a battered women's
shelter, up to a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(B) That the defendant reimburse the victim for reasonable costs
of counseling and other reasonable expenses that the court finds are
the direct result of the defendant's offense.
For any order to pay a fine, make payments to a battered women's
shelter, or pay restitution as a condition of probation under this
subdivision, the court shall make a determination of the defendant's
ability to pay. In no event shall any order to make payments to a
battered women's shelter be made if it would impair the ability of
the defendant to pay direct restitution to the victim or
court-ordered child support. If the injury to a married person is
caused in whole or in part by the criminal acts of his or her spouse
in violation of this section, the community property shall not be
used to discharge the liability of the offending spouse for
restitution to the injured spouse, required by Section 1203.04, as
operative on or before August 2, 1995, or Section 1202.4, or to a
shelter for costs with regard to the injured spouse and dependents,
required by this section, until all separate property of the
offending spouse is exhausted.
(3) (A) Upon conviction of a violation of
this subdivision, if probation is granted or the execution or
imposition of the sentence is suspended and the person has been
previously convicted of a violation of this subdivision and sentenced
under paragraph (1), the person shall be imprisoned for not less
than 48 hours five days in addition to
the conditions in paragraph (1). However, the court, upon a showing
of good cause, may elect not to impose the mandatory minimum
imprisonment as required by this subdivision
subparagraph and may, under these circumstances, grant
probation or order the suspension of the execution or imposition of
the sentence.
(B) Upon conviction of a violation of this subdivision, if
probation is granted or the execution or imposition of sentence is
suspended and the person has previously been convicted of a violation
of Section 273.5, the person shall be imprisoned for not less than
10 days in addition to the conditions in paragraph (1). However, the
court, upon a showing of good cause, may elect not to impose the
mandatory minimum imprisonment as required by this subparagraph and
may, under these circumstances, grant probation or order the
suspension of the execution or imposition of the sentence.
(4) The Legislature finds and declares that these specified crimes
merit special consideration when imposing a sentence so as to
display society's condemnation for these crimes of violence upon
victims with whom a close relationship has been formed.
(5) If a peace officer makes an arrest for a violation of
paragraph (1) of subdivision (e) of this section, the peace officer
is not required to inform the victim of his or her right to make a
citizen's arrest pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 836.
(f) As used in this section:
(1) "Peace officer" means any person defined in Chapter 4.5
(commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2.
(2) "Emergency medical technician" means a person who is either an
EMT-I, EMT-II, or EMT-P (paramedic), and possesses a valid
certificate or license in accordance with the standards of Division
2.5 (commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
(3) "Nurse" means a person who meets the standards of Division 2.5
(commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
(4) "Serious bodily injury" means a serious impairment of physical
condition, including, but not limited to, the following: loss of
consciousness; concussion; bone fracture; protracted loss or
impairment of function of any bodily member or organ; a wound
requiring extensive suturing; and serious disfigurement.
(5) "Injury" means any physical injury which requires professional
medical treatment.
(6) "Custodial officer" means any person who has the
responsibilities and duties described in Section 831 and who is
employed by a law enforcement agency of any city or county or who
performs those duties as a volunteer.
(7) "Lifeguard" means a person defined in paragraph (5) of
subdivision (d) of Section 241.
(8) "Traffic officer" means any person employed by a city, county,
or city and county to monitor and enforce state laws and local
ordinances relating to parking and the operation of vehicles.
(9) "Animal control officer" means any person employed by a city,
county, or city and county for purposes of enforcing animal control
laws or regulations.
(10) "Dating relationship" means frequent, intimate associations
primarily characterized by the expectation of affectional or sexual
involvement independent of financial considerations.
(11) (A) "Code enforcement officer" means any person who is not
described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of
Part 2 and who is employed by any governmental subdivision, public or
quasi-public corporation, public agency, public service corporation,
any town, city, county, or municipal corporation, whether
incorporated or chartered, who has enforcement authority for health,
safety, and welfare requirements, and whose duties include
enforcement of any statute, rules, regulations, or standards, and who
is authorized to issue citations, or file formal complaints.
(B) "Code enforcement officer" also includes any person who is
employed by the Department of Housing and Community Development who
has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare
requirements pursuant to the Employee Housing Act (Part 1 (commencing
with Section 17000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code);
the State Housing Law (Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) of
Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Manufactured Housing
Act of 1980 (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18000) of Division 13 of
the Health and Safety Code); the Mobilehome Parks Act (Part 2.1
(commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13 of the Health and
Safety Code); and the Special Occupancy Parks Act (Part 2.3
(commencing with Section 18860) of Division 13 of the Health and
Safety Code).
(12) "Custody assistant" means any person who has the
responsibilities and duties described in Section 831.7 and who is
employed by a law enforcement agency of any city, county, or city and
county.
(13) "Search and rescue member" means any person who is part of an
organized search and rescue team managed by a government agency.
(14) "Security officer" means any person who has the
responsibilities and duties described in Section 831.4 and who is
employed by a law enforcement agency of any city, county, or city and
county.
(g) It is the intent of the Legislature by amendments to this
section at the 1981-82 and 1983-84 Regular Sessions to abrogate the
holdings in cases such as People v. Corey, 21 Cal. 3d 738, and
Cervantez v. J.C. Penney Co., 24 Cal. 3d 579, and to reinstate prior
judicial interpretations of this section as they relate to criminal
sanctions for battery on peace officers who are employed, on a
part-time or casual basis, while wearing a police uniform as private
security guards or patrolmen and to allow the exercise of peace
officer powers concurrently with that employment.
SEC. 2. No reimbursement is required by this act
pursuant to Section 6 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
Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a
crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the
California Constitution.
SECTION 1. Section 273.5 of the Penal Code is
amended to read:
273.5. (a) Every person who willfully inflicts corporal injury
that results in a traumatic condition upon a victim described in
subdivision (b) is guilty of a felony, and upon conviction thereof
shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three,
or four years, or in a county jail for not more than one year, or by
a fine of up to six thousand dollars ($6,000), or by both that fine
and imprisonment.
(b) Subdivision (a) applies if the victim is or was one or more of
the following:
(1) The offender's spouse or former spouse.
(2) The offender's cohabitant or former cohabitant.
(3) The offender's fiancé or fiancée, or someone with whom the
offender has, or previously had, an engagement or dating
relationship, as defined in paragraph (10) of subdivision (f) of
Section 243.
(4) The mother or father of the offender's child.
(c) Holding oneself out to be the husband or wife of the person
with whom one is cohabiting is not necessary to constitute
cohabitation as that term is used in this section.
(d) As used in this section, "traumatic condition" means a
condition of the body, such as a wound, or external or internal
injury, including, but not limited to, injury as a result of
strangulation or suffocation, whether of a minor or serious nature,
caused by a physical force. For purposes of this section,
"strangulation" and "suffocation" include impeding the normal
breathing or circulation of the blood of a person by applying
pressure on the throat or neck.
(e) For the purpose of this section, a person shall be considered
the father or mother of another person's child if the alleged male
parent is presumed the natural father under Sections 7611 and 7612 of
the Family Code.
(f) (1) Every person convicted of violating this section for acts
occurring within seven years of a previous conviction under
subdivision (a), or subdivision (d) of Section 243, or Section 243.4,
244, 244.5, or 245, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county
jail for not more than one year, or by imprisonment in the state
prison for two, four, or five years, or by both imprisonment and a
fine of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
(2) Every person convicted of a violation of this section for acts
occurring within seven years of a previous conviction under
subdivision (e) of Section 243 shall be punished by imprisonment in
the state prison for two, three, or four years, or in a county jail
for not more than one year, or by a fine of up to ten thousand
dollars ($10,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine.
(g) If probation is granted to a person convicted under
subdivision (a), the court shall impose probation consistent with the
provisions of Section 1203.097.
(h) If probation is granted, or the execution or imposition of a
sentence is suspended, for a defendant convicted under subdivision
(a) who has been convicted of a prior offense specified in
subdivision (f), the court shall impose one of the following
conditions of probation:
(1) If the defendant has suffered one prior conviction within the
previous seven years for a violation of an offense specified in
subdivision (f), it shall be a condition of probation, in addition to
the provisions contained in Section 1203.097, that he or she be
imprisoned in a county jail for not less than 15 days.
(2) If the defendant has suffered two or more prior convictions
within the previous seven years for a violation of an offense
specified in subdivision (f), it shall be a condition of probation,
in addition to the provisions contained in Section 1203.097, that he
or she be imprisoned in a county jail for not less than 60 days.
(3) The court, upon a showing of good cause, may find that the
mandatory imprisonment required by this subdivision shall not be
imposed and shall state on the record its reasons for finding good
cause.
(i) If probation is granted upon conviction of a violation of
subdivision (a), the conditions of probation may include, consistent
with the terms of probation imposed pursuant to Section 1203.097, in
lieu of a fine, one or both of the following requirements:
(1) That the defendant make payments to a battered women's
shelter, up to a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000), pursuant
to Section 1203.097.
(2) (A) That the defendant reimburse the victim for reasonable
costs of counseling and other reasonable expenses that the court
finds are the direct result of the defendant's offense.
(B) For an order to pay a fine, make payments to a battered women'
s shelter, or pay restitution as a condition of probation under this
subdivision, the court shall make a determination of the defendant's
ability to pay. An order to make payments to a battered women's
shelter shall not be made if it would impair the ability of the
defendant to pay direct restitution to the victim or court-ordered
child support. If the injury to a married person is caused in whole
or in part by the criminal acts of his or her spouse in violation of
this section, the community property may not be used to discharge the
liability of the offending spouse for restitution to the injured
spouse, required by Section 1203.04, as operative on or before August
2, 1995, or Section 1202.4, or to a shelter for costs with regard to
the injured spouse and dependents, required by this section, until
all separate property of the offending spouse is exhausted.
(j) Upon conviction under subdivision (a), the sentencing court
shall also consider issuing an order restraining the defendant from
any contact with the victim, which may be valid for up to 10 years,
as determined by the court. It is the intent of the Legislature that
the length of any restraining order be based upon the seriousness of
the facts before the court, the probability of future violations, and
the safety of the victim and his or her immediate family. This
protective order may be issued by the court whether the defendant is
sentenced to state prison or county jail, or if imposition of
sentence is suspended and the defendant is placed on probation.
(k) If a peace officer makes an arrest for a violation of this
section, the peace officer is not required to inform the victim of
his or her right to make a citizen's arrest pursuant to subdivision
(b) of Section 836.