---
type: "Bill"
title: "Public records: video or audio recordings: crime."
description: "Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires state and local agencies to make their records available for public inspection, unless an exemption from disclosure applies."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20172018"
identifier: "AB 459"
citation: "California AB 459 (20172018)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Public records: video or audio recordings: crime."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Chau"]
version_count: 8
action_count: 30
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2017-02-13"
last_action: "2017-09-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/0046f4fc-50fa-477d-bb40-f177aa34d289"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB459"
source_hash: "c017fe5cce95b472ae21312d41fa950123bd799cba71cd37fc965bab02f7b412"
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 AB 459 (20172018) — Public records: video or audio recordings: crime.

Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires state and local agencies to make their records available for public inspection, unless an exemption from disclosure applies.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/13/17 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB459&version=20170AB45999INT)
2. **03/22/17 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB459&version=20170AB45998AMD)
3. **04/17/17 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB459&version=20170AB45997AMD)
4. **04/27/17 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB459&version=20170AB45996AMD)
5. **06/15/17 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB459&version=20170AB45995AMD)
6. **09/26/17 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB459&version=20170AB45993CHP)
7. **AB459** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB459)
8. **09/08/17 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB459&version=20170AB45994ENR)

## Votes

- AB 459 CHAU Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **79–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Public Safety] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **6–0** (pass) · upper
- AB 459 CHAU Consent Calendar Second Day — **69–0** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB459 Chau By Wieckowski — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- 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. — **17–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Chau — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2017-02-13** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2017-02-14** From printer. May be heard in committee March 16.
- **2017-02-27** Referred to Coms. on P. & C.P. and JUD. `referral-committee`
- **2017-03-22** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1`
- **2017-03-23** Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P. `referral-committee`
- **2017-03-23** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **2017-04-17** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1`
- **2017-04-18** Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P. `referral-committee`
- **2017-04-19** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (April 18). Re-referred to Com. on JUD. `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2017-04-26** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 25). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, amendment-introduction`
- **2017-04-27** Read second time and amended. `reading-1, amendment-passage, reading-2`
- **2017-05-01** Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee`
- **2017-05-10** From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (May 10). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2017-05-11** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2017-05-18** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 69. Noes 0. Page 1616.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2017-05-18** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2017-06-01** Referred to Coms. on JUD. and PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2017-06-15** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD. `amendment-passage, referral-committee, reading-2, reading-1, amendment-introduction`
- **2017-06-28** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (June 27). Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S. `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2017-07-12** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 11). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2017-08-21** From committee: Be placed on second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar. `committee-passage`
- **2017-08-22** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2017-08-24** From Consent Calendar.
- **2017-08-24** Ordered to third reading.
- **2017-09-05** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2455.). `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2017-09-05** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after September 7 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2017-09-07** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 3016.). `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2017-09-13** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- **2017-09-26** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2017-09-26** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 291, Statutes of 2017.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/0046f4fc-50fa-477d-bb40-f177aa34d289`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).