--- type: "Bill" title: "Criminal procedure: arrests and evidence." description: "(1) Existing law requires that a person arrested without a warrant be taken before a magistrate without unnecessary delay. Existing law also provides certain circumstances under which a person arrested without a warrant may be released from custody before being taken before a magistrate, including, among others, when the arresting officer believes that insufficient grounds exist to make a criminal complaint against the person arrested or when the person is arrested for intoxication only and no further proceedings are desirable." jurisdiction: "us/states/ca" legislature: "California Legislature" session: "20172018" identifier: "SB 238" citation: "California SB 238 (20172018)" classification: ["bill"] subjects: ["Criminal procedure: arrests and evidence."] status: "enacted" primary_sponsors: ["Hertzberg"] version_count: 5 action_count: 25 vote_count: 4 first_action: "2017-02-06" last_action: "2017-10-07" source: "openstates" source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1f50bdda-ec89-4f99-85db-ba5c5506d6f2" source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB238" source_hash: "b217f9ef2e375768b6202b1cd4b2ad600746c46ad44d3ebcda7a9a2fafdee763" 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 238 (20172018) — Criminal procedure: arrests and evidence. (1) Existing law requires that a person arrested without a warrant be taken before a magistrate without unnecessary delay. Existing law also provides certain circumstances under which a person arrested without a warrant may be released from custody before being taken before a magistrate, including, among others, when the arresting officer believes that insufficient grounds exist to make a criminal complaint against the person arrested or when the person is arrested for intoxication only and no further proceedings are desirable. ## Version chain The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment. 1. **02/06/17 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB238&version=20170SB23899INT) 2. **09/08/17 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB238&version=20170SB23898AMD) 3. **10/07/17 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB238&version=20170SB23896CHP) 4. **SB238** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB238) 5. **09/18/17 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB238&version=20170SB23897ENR) ## Votes - Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **7–0** (pass) · lower - Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **14–0** (pass) · lower - Special Consent Calendar (Urgency Clause) — **40–0** (pass) · upper - SB 238 Hertzberg Third Reading Urgency By BLOOM — **79–0** (pass) · lower ## Sponsors - Hertzberg — primary (person) ## Timeline The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote. - **2017-02-06** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1` - **2017-02-07** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 9. - **2017-02-16** Referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee` - **2017-03-01** Set for hearing March 21. - **2017-03-22** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 430.) (March 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, referral-committee` - **2017-04-05** Set for hearing April 17. - **2017-04-17** From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar. `committee-passage, reading-2` - **2017-04-18** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-2, reading-1` - **2017-04-20** Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 768.) Ordered to the Assembly. `reading-3, passage, reading-1` - **2017-04-20** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1` - **2017-05-18** Referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee` - **2017-06-13** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 13). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, referral-committee` - **2017-06-28** From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (June 28). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage` - **2017-06-29** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-2, reading-1` - **2017-07-03** From consent calendar on motion of Assembly Member Bonta. - **2017-07-03** Ordered to third reading. - **2017-09-08** Read third time and amended. `amendment-passage, reading-3, reading-1` - **2017-09-08** Ordered to third reading. - **2017-09-11** Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 3149.) Ordered to the Senate. `reading-3, passage, reading-1` - **2017-09-11** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending. - **2017-09-12** Ordered to special consent calendar. - **2017-09-14** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2905.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage` - **2017-09-20** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m. - **2017-10-07** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature` - **2017-10-07** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 566, Statutes of 2017. ## Source OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1f50bdda-ec89-4f99-85db-ba5c5506d6f2`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).