SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senate Bill 19 (SB 19), a vital public safety bill by Senator Susan Rubio (D–Baldwin Park) and Assemblymember Dr. Darshana Patel (D–San Diego County), is now on to the Governor’s desk. The bill closes a longstanding loophole in California’s criminal threat law and gives prosecutors the tools to hold individuals accountable for threats targeting schools, places of worship, hospitals, daycares, and other sensitive locations – even when those threats don’t name a specific person.

The final version of SB 19 unites two major efforts – Senator Rubio’s bill with Assemblymember Patel’s AB 237 – into a single, comprehensive response to the rise in threats against public spaces. The merged bill maintains Senator Rubio’s core policy framework for protecting schools and places of worship, while incorporating Assemblymember Patel’s provisions to strengthen the bill’s reach to healthcare facilities, workplaces, and daycares – ensuring consistent enforcement statewide.

“When I was a teacher, I lived through real lockdowns with terrified kids. I saw the panic in my students’ eyes. In that moment, it doesn’t matter if the threat is real or not – the trauma is,” said Senator Rubio. “With SB 19, we’re making sure that all credible threats, even ones that don’t target a specific person, are treated like the danger they are. We’re giving law enforcement the tools they need to act before lives are at risk. I’m proud to partner with Assemblymember Patel to protect families – and especially children – across California, so parents don’t have to worry if their child is safe just walking into school.”

“In 2023, a man sent 350 emails threatening to commit a shooting at Shoal Creek Elementary School. Although the threat was severe, the perpetrator is only being held accountable under other charges because California law does not criminalize threats made against buildings,” said Assemblymember Patel. “By clarifying that it is a crime to threaten a daycare, school, university, workplace, house of worship, or medical facility, SB 19 strengthens public safety and allows for a commonsense solution to a serious and unfortunately common problem.”

What SB 19 Does

• Closes a loophole in California law that makes it difficult to prosecute threats unless a specific person is named, even when a school, workplace, daycare, or place of worship is clearly targeted.

• Applies to threats made by social media posts, emails, calls, or hoax “swatting” reports.

• Requires that a charge be based on a deliberate and specific threat that causes sustained fear, preserving First Amendment protections.

Why SB 19 is Needed

Under current law, credible threats aimed at public locations often go uncharged unless they identify a specific person. That gap has created serious risk and confusion for law enforcement, schools, and communities.

• In San Diego, a 38-year-old man sent hundreds of emails threatening a mass shooting at an elementary school. The initial case was dismissed because the threats did not name a specific person. Prosecutors later refiled with the principal identified as the victim.^[1]

• In Ventura, two teens made a bomb and shooting threat that shut down a school and triggered a full police response. Prosecutors had to stitch together a patchwork of charges.

Across California and the country, these incidents are increasing:

• More than 1,100 threats were reported against schools and universities in 2023.

• In just one weekend in 2023, nearly 200 bomb threats were made against Jewish institutions nationwide. Over the course of the year, more than 400 threats or attacks targeted synagogues, churches, mosques, and temples – many anonymous.

Research shows that emergency response to a single false threat can cost upwards of $100,000, factoring in police deployment, school shutdowns, and incident command.

“Every threat forces law enforcement to respond, even if it later turns out to be a hoax. That takes time, money, and resources away from neighborhoods that already need help,” said Senator Rubio. “SB 19 sends a clear message: If you make a threat designed to create fear, we will treat it like the serious crime it is.”

Senator Rubio is available for interviews in English or Spanish. To schedule an interview, please contact Brian Wheatley at brian.wheatley@sen.ca.gov.

For more information, visit the website of Senator Susan Rubio at senate.ca.gov/rubio or Assemblymember Dr. Darshana Patel at assembly.ca.gov/patel

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^[1] City News Service. “Man Accused of Threatening Mass Shooting at San Diego Elementary School Charged Again.” NBC 7 San Diego, 19 Oct. 2024, https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/man-accused-of-threatening-mass-shooting-at-san-diego-elementary-school-charged-again/3653214/.