Bill > AB469

This bill expresses the California Legislature's intent to create new legislation that would increase penalties for impersonating first responders specifically during a state of emergency. While current California law already considers it a misdemeanor to impersonate certain first responders like fire department members, this bill signals a potential future legislative effort to more severely punish such impersonation when it occurs during officially declared emergency situations. The bill builds upon existing legal definitions, such as the California Emergency Services Act, which defines a first responder as a state or local public agency employee who provides emergency response services. By stating this legislative intent, the bill sets the stage for potential future, more detailed legislation that would create more robust legal consequences for individuals who fraudulently represent themselves as emergency personnel during critical and vulnerable moments of public crisis.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB469