Metal theft.

The document header changed from the enrolled bill format (showing Assembly and Senate passage dates and a blank Governor receipt line) to the chaptered statutory format with 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL,' the chapter number (Chapter 694), and the approval date of October 13, 2025.

Page numbering and layout were adjusted to match the official statutory compilation format (page references changed from '91' to '90' in several locations).

Removed the requirement in Section 21606(a)(5) that item descriptions include the 'number of units' of junk purchased or sold.

Removed the requirement in Section 21606(a)(6) that the signed ownership statement include the seller's legal name, date of birth, and place of residence (street number, street name, city, state, and ZIP Code). The statement now only needs to indicate ownership or the source of the junk.

Section 21609.1 no longer limits the possession prohibition to items that are 'reasonably recognizable, disassembled, or inoperative.' The amended text prohibits possessing any listed agency-owned material without written certification, regardless of condition, which broadens the scope of the law.

The bill's short title is narrowed from 'relating to business, metal theft, and making an appropriation therefor' to 'relating to metal theft, and making an appropriation therefor,' removing the reference to 'business.'

The maximum criminal fine under Penal Code Section 496a (buying/receiving utility materials without due diligence) is increased from $1,000 to $10,000.

The maximum criminal fine under Penal Code Section 496e (possessing stolen agency-owned items like fire hydrants, street lights, and traffic signals) is increased from $3,000 to $10,000.

The fiscal note changes the appropriation determination from 'yes' to 'no,' meaning the bill no longer requires a state appropriation.

Three coauthors (Assembly Members Alanis, Davies, and Flora) were added to the bill.

Gender-neutral language updates throughout: 'he or she' changed to 'they' and 'his or her' changed to 'their' in multiple sections.

Penal Code Section 496e changes the term 'manhole covers or lids' to 'maintenance hole covers or lids,' aligning terminology with the Business and Professions Code version of the same provision.

The maximum fine for a junk dealer or collector who buys or receives metal materials (wire, cable, copper, lead, solder, mercury, iron, or brass) known or reasonably known to belong to a railroad, utility, or public entity without due diligence was reduced from $10,000 to $5,000 in Penal Code Section 496a.

A duplicate coauthor name (Pacheco listed twice) was corrected in the bill header.

Section numbering at the end of the bill was adjusted, with the reimbursement clause renumbered from Section 6 to Section 5 and a blank Section 6 inserted.

The entire new Penal Code Section 496f (organized metal theft) was removed. This section would have criminalized acting in concert with others to steal, receive, or possess metal materials from public infrastructure, acting as an agent in organized theft plans, and recruiting or financing others to commit metal theft. Penalties included up to one year in county jail, with a wobbler (misdemeanor or felony) enhancement if violations occurred on two or more occasions within 12 months with aggregated value exceeding $950.

The legislative digest language 'By creating new crimes and expanding the scope of existing crimes' was changed to 'By expanding the scope of existing crimes,' reflecting that the bill no longer creates a new offense.

Section 21606(a)(5) now requires that identifying marks engraved or etched on metal be described only if they are 'any and readily visible,' adding a visibility threshold to the record-keeping requirement for junk dealers and recyclers.

Section numbering was adjusted: the no-reimbursement provision moved from Section 6 to Section 5 due to the removal of the organized metal theft section.

Removed the prohibition on junk dealers or recyclers purchasing nonferrous metals from a person under 18 years of age (former subdivision (b) of Section 21607).

Reduced the maximum criminal fine for criminally receiving stolen metal under Penal Code Section 496a from $10,000 to $5,000.

Consolidated separate items for street lights and traffic signals into a single category: 'Reasonably recognizable street lights, traffic signals, and their reasonably recognizable related equipment.' Active grade crossing signals is now its own standalone item rather than being grouped with traffic signals.

Removed Ubicquia smart nodes from the list of protected street lighting attachments in both Section 21609.1 and Section 496e.

Moved electric vehicle chargers from a sub-item under street lights to a standalone top-level item (item 14) in the list of protected materials, giving them independent protection rather than being nested under street lighting equipment.

Consolidated fiber optic cables into the existing 'Conductors, wiring, and cabling' sub-item rather than listing them separately. Changed 'Digital banners' to 'Digital banners and signs.'

Added Senator Archuleta as a Senate coauthor and Assembly Member Schiavo as an Assembly coauthor.

Entire Section 21611 (new Business and Professions Code section) is deleted. This section would have required anyone selling scrap metal copper to obtain a license from the Contractors State License Board, with a $500 application fee, annual $500 renewal fee, $750 late fee, exemptions for licensed electricians/contractors/EPA 608 technicians, and fees deposited into the Contractors License Fund.

Subdivision (b) of Section 21606 is removed. It required junk dealers to obtain 'acceptable proof of ownership' before purchasing nonferrous metals, defined as either an invoice/receipt documenting purchase or a contractor's license plus construction/demolition permit plus a signed declaration from the seller.

Subdivision (c) of Section 21606 is removed. It required junk dealers to verify the seller's identity using one of the specified identification methods before purchasing junk.

Required item description in Section 21606(a)(5) is simplified. The removed terms are 'volume,' 'length,' and 'predominant type of metal.' The retained terms are item type, number of units, weight, identifying marks engraved or etched on the metal, and serial numbers.

Subdivision (e) of Section 21606 is removed. It required junk dealers to maintain collected information for at least one year and authorized law enforcement officers to conduct reasonable inspections during regular business hours.

Maximum criminal fine in Penal Code Section 496e(b) reduced from $10,000 to $5,000 for possessing stolen or improperly obtained agency-owned materials (fire hydrants, street lights, traffic signals, etc.).

Penal Code Section 496a(a) penalty structure is modified to add back a $1,000 fine option alongside the enhanced $10,000 fine, preserving the existing lower-penalty tier while adding the higher one.

Appropriation changed from 'yes' to 'no' because the licensing fee provisions (which deposited money into the Contractors License Fund) were removed.

New Penal Code Section 496f creates the crime of 'organized metal theft,' covering four categories of conduct: acting in concert with others to steal metal for resale, acting in concert with two or more persons to receive or possess stolen metal, acting as an agent in an organized theft plan, and recruiting/financing/coordinating others to commit metal theft.

The list of protected items in both Business and Professions Code Section 21609.1 and Penal Code Section 496e was expanded to include: water meters and water meter components (new item 15), controller devices (new sub-item A under street lights), conductors/wiring/cabling including fiber optic cables (expanded from just 'fiber optic cables'), electric vehicle chargers (added to Section 496e list), and digital banners were renamed to 'digital banners and signs.'

Four new coauthors were added: Assembly Members Chen, Haney, Krell, and Pacheco.

Organized metal theft is punishable as a misdemeanor (county jail up to 1 year) generally, but escalates to a felony if the offense is committed on two or more separate occasions within a 12-month period and the aggregated value of stolen metal exceeds $950. The section also provides evidentiary guidance for proving concerted action and clarifies that prosecutors need not charge all coparticipants.

The maximum criminal fine for possessing stolen public infrastructure items under Penal Code Section 496e was reduced from $10,000 to $5,000.

The umbrella description for the street lights category was broadened from 'street lights and other attachments related to street lighting' to 'reasonably recognizable street lights, traffic signals, and their reasonably recognizable related equipment,' explicitly bringing traffic signals under that category's heading.

The bill now amends Sections 21606 and 21609.1 of the Business and Professions Code, and Sections 496a and 496e of the Penal Code, in addition to adding Section 21611. Previously it only amended Section 21606 and added Section 21611.

Section 21609.1 (possession of public infrastructure materials without written certification) is expanded from covering only fire hydrants and manhole covers to also include backflow devices, street lights and attachments (smart nodes, LED fixtures, poles, solar components, colocation equipment, fiber optic cables, EV chargers, cameras, air quality sensors, digital banners, pedestrian/cycling counters), traffic signals, sewer flow monitoring equipment, sewer pump station instrumentation, stormwater sampling equipment, stormwater pump station controls, irrigation wiring, plaques, and communications or broadband infrastructure.

Section 496e of the Penal Code: the list of items whose possession constitutes a crime is expanded from fire hydrants and manhole covers to include the same broad list of public infrastructure items added in Section 21609.1 (street lights, traffic signals, sewer equipment, stormwater equipment, irrigation wiring, plaques, communications infrastructure, etc.). 'Manhole' is changed to 'maintenance hole.'

Junk dealer recordkeeping now requires recording the time and amount paid for each transaction, the name of the employee handling the transaction, and a more detailed item description including number of units, weight, volume, length, predominant type of metal, identifying marks engraved or etched on the metal, and serial numbers.

New subdivision (b) to Section 21609.1 requires junk dealers or recyclers who unknowingly receive prohibited items in a load of otherwise legal materials to notify the appropriate law enforcement agency by the end of the next business day, set the material aside, and not sell it pending a law enforcement determination.

New subdivisions (b) and (c) added to Section 496a requiring dealers to obtain evidence of seller identity (full name, signature, address, driver's license number, vehicle license number) and to maintain transaction records with an appropriate description of the material purchased.

New definitions added for 'agency' (public agency, city, county, special district, or private utility regulated by PUC), 'appropriate law enforcement agency' (police chief in cities, sheriff outside cities), and 'written certification' (written form including email, fax, or letter delivered in person or by certified mail).

Section 496a of the Penal Code: maximum fine for criminally receiving property from railroads, utilities, or public entities increased from $1,000 to $10,000. The knowledge standard is lowered from 'knows' to 'knows or reasonably should know.'

Section 496e of the Penal Code: maximum criminal fine for possessing stolen public infrastructure materials increased from $3,000 to $10,000.

The fiscal note now explicitly states the bill imposes a state-mandated local program because it expands the scope of crimes, in addition to the existing no-reimbursement finding.