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California 20252026

AB 2122

Infractions: warrants and penalties.

Open original source Back to bills
Source: Open States / PluralUpdated 2026-09-12 13:12:55 UTC.

Official record

Measure details

Jurisdiction
California
Session
20252026
Chamber
lower
Classification
bill
Subjects
Infractions, warrantsandpenalties
Introduced / first action
2026-02-18 00:00:00

Source-supplied abstracts

(1) Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to willfully fail to appear in court, as specified. Existing law, when a person has failed to appear and has not posted bail, requires the magistrate to issue a warrant for the person's arrest within 20 days of the failure to appear. This bill would make those sections only apply when the underlying charge is not an infraction. (2) Existing law authorizes the issuance of a bench warrant of arrest when a person fails to appear in court as promised in specified criminal proceedings. This bill would prohibit the issuance of a bench warrant of arrest when the underlying crime is an infraction issued pursuant to the Vehicle Code. The bill would require bench warrants for other infractions to be limited to only authorizing arrest and booking at the scene followed by immediate release, as specified. (3) Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to willfully fail to appear in court for a violation of the Vehicle Code, and requires the court to report a conviction of this offense to the Department of Motor Vehicles. This bill would make that misdemeanor only apply when the underlying charge is not an infraction. The bill would also remove the requirement for the court to report a conviction of this offense to the department. (4) Existing law authorizes the imposition of a civil assessment or the issuance of an arrest warrant when a person fails to make an installment payment on bail imposed by the court for an infraction violation of the Vehicle Code. Existing law also makes it a misdemeanor to fail to pay bail in installments or to fail to pay a fine imposed for the violation of a state or local traffic law. This bill would remove the misdemeanor for failure to pay a bail installment or fine if the original charge was an infraction. The bill would remove the authorization to issue an arrest warrant for failure to pay a bail installment. (5) Existing law, if a defendant does not appear at the time the case is called for a violation of the Vehicle Code, authorizes the court to declare the bail forfeited and order that no further proceedings be had in the case, or to issue a warrant for the arrest of the defendant. However, if a defendant is charged with specified crimes, including disposing of a flaming or glowing substance on or near a road and littering a highway, has previously been convicted of the same crime, and fails to appear at the time the case is called to trial, existing law authorizes the court to declare the bail forfeited and requires the court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the person charged, unless the magistrate finds that undue hardship will be imposed by requiring the defendant to appear. This bill would remove the requirement that the magistrate issue a bench warrant when the person has committed one of the crimes specified above.

Sponsors

Source-supplied history

Actions

  1. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  2. In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.

    committee-passage

  3. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 25. Noes 11.).

    passage, reading-1, reading-3

  4. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  5. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 4. Noes 2.) (August 13).

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable

  6. In committee: Reconsideration of a favorable vote granted.

  7. In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  8. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 1.) (June 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee

  9. Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  10. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1, referral-committee

  11. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 55. Noes 18. Page 5264.)

    passage, reading-1, reading-3

  12. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  13. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 4.) (May 14).

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable

  14. Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended. (Page 5030.)

  15. In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  16. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    referral-committee

  17. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2

  18. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 2.) (April 14).

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, referral-committee

  19. In committee: Set, second hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  20. In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  21. Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  22. From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.

  23. Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

When supplied by the API

Related measures

No resolvable related measure is supplied.