Civil rights.

Under existing law, if a person or persons, whether or not acting under color of law, interferes or attempts to interfere, by threats, intimidation, or coercion, with the exercise or enjoyment by any individual or individuals of rights secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or of the rights secured by the Constitution or laws of this state, the Attorney General, or any district attorney or city attorney is authorized to bring a civil action for injunctive and other appropriate equitable relief in the name of the people of the State of California, in order to protect the exercise or enjoyment of the right or rights secured. Existing law also authorizes an individual whose exercise or enjoyment of those rights has been interfered with, or attempted to be interfered with, as described, to institute and prosecute a civil action for damages, including, but not limited to, specified damages, injunctive relief, and other appropriate equitable relief to protect the peaceable exercise or enjoyment of the right or rights secured. This bill would expand the relief authorized to be sought by an individual in a civil action to include appropriate equitable and declaratory relief to eliminate a pattern or practice of interference, or attempts to interfere, as described. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 52.1 of the Civil Code proposed by AB 2617 that would become operative only if this bill and AB 2617 are both chaptered and this bill is chaptered last.