---
type: "Bill"
title: "Privacy: electronic communications."
description: "Existing law prohibits a government entity from compelling the production of, or access to, electronic communication information or electronic device information, as defined, without a search warrant, wiretap order, order for electronic reader records, or subpoena issued pursuant to specified conditions, except for emergency situations, as defined. Existing law also specifies the conditions under which a government entity may access electronic device information by means of physical interaction or electronic communication with the device, such as pursuant to a search warrant, wiretap order, or consent of the owner of the device."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20152016"
identifier: "SB 1121"
citation: "California SB 1121 (20152016)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Privacy: electronic communications."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Leno"]
version_count: 9
action_count: 31
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2016-02-17"
last_action: "2016-09-23"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/47b628fe-0624-4344-bf7c-db9559ef9839"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1121"
source_hash: "c0c32b81be745db27ee9cb3722eb8b70492349c71284e95d7edf6a95e53174ec"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California SB 1121 (20152016) — Privacy: electronic communications.

Existing law prohibits a government entity from compelling the production of, or access to, electronic communication information or electronic device information, as defined, without a search warrant, wiretap order, order for electronic reader records, or subpoena issued pursuant to specified conditions, except for emergency situations, as defined. Existing law also specifies the conditions under which a government entity may access electronic device information by means of physical interaction or electronic communication with the device, such as pursuant to a search warrant, wiretap order, or consent of the owner of the device.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **02/17/16 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1121&version=20150SB112199INT)
2. **03/29/16 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1121&version=20150SB112198AMD)
3. **06/14/16 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1121&version=20150SB112197AMD)
4. **06/23/16 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1121&version=20150SB112196AMD)
5. **08/01/16 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1121&version=20150SB112195AMD)
6. **08/19/16 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1121&version=20150SB112194AMD)
7. **09/23/16 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1121&version=20150SB112192CHP)
8. **SB1121** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1121)
9. **08/29/16 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1121&version=20150SB112193ENR)

## Votes

- Unfinished Business SB1121 Leno Concurrence — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- SB 1121 Leno Senate Third Reading By B. & P. Amendment Set #1 — **73–0** (pass) · lower
- SB 1121 Leno Senate Third Reading By OBERNOLTE — **80–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Public Safety] — **11–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **19–0** (pass) · lower
- Consent Calendar 2nd — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **7–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Leno — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2016-02-17** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2016-02-18** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 19.
- **2016-02-25** Referred to Com. on RLS. `referral-committee`
- **2016-03-29** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-04-04** Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2016-04-08** Set for hearing April 19.
- **2016-04-20** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 3613.) (April 19). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-04-22** Set for hearing May 2.
- **2016-05-02** From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar. `committee-passage, reading-2`
- **2016-05-03** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2016-05-05** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 3775.) Ordered to the Assembly. `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2016-05-05** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1`
- **2016-05-12** Referred to Coms. on P. & C.P. and PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2016-06-14** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-06-22** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 21). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, amendment-passage`
- **2016-06-23** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-06-28** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-08-01** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-08-03** August 3 hearing postponed by committee.
- **2016-08-10** From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 19. Noes 0.) (August 10). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-08-11** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2016-08-15** From consent calendar on motion of Assembly Member Cooper.
- **2016-08-15** Ordered to third reading.
- **2016-08-19** Read third time and amended. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 5962.) `reading-3, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-08-19** Ordered to third reading.
- **2016-08-23** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 6090.) Ordered to the Senate. `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2016-08-23** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
- **2016-08-25** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 5404.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2016-08-31** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
- **2016-09-23** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2016-09-23** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 541, Statutes of 2016.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/47b628fe-0624-4344-bf7c-db9559ef9839`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).