Bill > AB710

This bill, titled "Theft of a gift card," proposes to add Section 490.45 to the Penal Code, making it a crime to defraud someone of a gift card or its redemption information. Specifically, it would criminalize acquiring or possessing a gift card or its redemption information with intent to defraud, altering or tampering with a gift card, using a stolen or forged gift card, or devising a scheme to obtain a gift card through false pretenses. The severity of the crime would depend on the value of the gift card, with amounts exceeding $950 constituting grand theft, punishable as either a misdemeanor or a felony. The bill also defines key terms such as "gift card," "cardholder," "card issuer," and "gift card redemption information" to clarify its scope. Additionally, the bill mandates that by January 1, 2028, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) require electrical corporations to offer optional dynamic pricing tariffs, which are pricing plans that vary based on the time of day or other factors, and that both electrical corporations and local publicly owned electric utilities analyze and plan for the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure, which are smart meters that allow for two-way communication about energy usage, by January 1, 2029. The bill states that no reimbursement is required for local agencies or school districts for costs incurred due to these new criminal provisions.

Budget and Finance, Justice, Transportation and Infrastructure

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB710