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Senate committee hears bill to close Penal Code 422 "sensitive places" loophole
Summary
Assemblymember Patel told the Senate Public Safety subcommittee AB 237 would let prosecutors pursue threats aimed at locations — such as schools and clinics — without naming a specific individual; supporters and civil-rights groups disputed whether current law already covers such threats.
Assemblymember Patel on Tuesday urged the Senate Committee on Public Safety to adopt AB 237, a bill he said would close a loophole in Penal Code 422 that can block prosecutions when threats name a location rather than a specific person.
"AB 237 closes a problematic loophole in Penal Code 422 that makes the prosecution and conviction of people who threaten sensitive places unnecessarily difficult," Patel said, arguing that vague threats directed at schools, hospitals, synagogues and other sites have in recent years frustrated prosecutors and left communities in fear.
The bill's author and supporting witnesses, including Pat Espinosa of the San Diego County District Attorney's Office and…
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