Senate Bill 1262 Continues to Progress Through State Legislature

Tell Your Senator and Assembly Member to Support Senate Bill 1262

Senate Bill 1262, if passed, will restore the status quo by returning personal identifier access to electronic court records which will allow for quicker and more accurate rental decisions.  Nearly 50 California and national organizations support Senate Bill 1262, including the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles.  

Background checks in California have become far less accurate and their use has been greatly reduced since last spring. On May 26, 2021, the California Court of Appeals, 4th A.D. (Riverside County), issued a ruling in the case of “All of Us or None of Us v. Hamrick” that removes significant identifiers, including date of birth and driver’s license number, from criminal records. This ruling creates significant barriers to the criminal background check process, making it difficult – if not impossible – for housing providers (and employers) to rent (or hire) quickly, or to protect the public by conducting criminal background checks.

Senate Bill 1262 is sponsored by Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Long Beach), the chair of Senate Public Safety Committee. On April 26, the committee passed the bill on a 5-0 vote. On May 24, the senate passed the bill 37-0-3, with three members (Archuleta, Caballero, Hertzberg) not voting. The bill has been single referred to the Assembly Public Safety Committee. The bill will be heard on June 21^st.  

Please contact your state Senator and Assembly Member and ask them to support Senate Bill 1262, which will restore the accuracy of background checks and return the status quo of allowing the use of personal identifier access to electronic court records for quick and accurate rental decisions.