---
type: "Bill"
title: "Criminal procedure: factual innocence."
description: "Existing law authorizes a person who is unlawfully imprisoned under specified circumstances, including, without limitation, conviction on the basis of false evidence or the existence of new exculpatory evidence, to prosecute a writ of habeas corpus ordering their release. Existing law also authorizes such a person who is no longer in custody to prosecute a motion to vacate a judgment."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20232024"
identifier: "SB 78"
citation: "California SB 78 (20232024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Criminal procedure", "factual innocence"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Glazer"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 26
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2023-01-12"
last_action: "2023-10-10"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f96607da-4528-47b2-aeae-9df655f9e0b3"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB78"
source_hash: "c275f85a09fb9937b9ec988488d54b8c55ffe437dc0bcd5a3c897a255d1b4c19"
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 78 (20232024) — Criminal procedure: factual innocence.

Existing law authorizes a person who is unlawfully imprisoned under specified circumstances, including, without limitation, conviction on the basis of false evidence or the existence of new exculpatory evidence, to prosecute a writ of habeas corpus ordering their release. Existing law also authorizes such a person who is no longer in custody to prosecute a motion to vacate a judgment.

## Version chain

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

1. **01/12/23 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB78&version=20230SB7899INT)
2. **06/06/23 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB78&version=20230SB7898AMD)
3. **10/10/23 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB78&version=20230SB7896CHP)
4. **SB78** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB78)
5. **09/11/23 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB78&version=20230SB7897ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **5–0** (pass) · upper
- Consent Calendar SB78 Glazer et al. — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- SB 78 Glazer Consent Calendar Second Day — **79–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **15–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- Special Consent SB78 Glazer et al. — **40–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Glazer — primary (person)
- Becker — principal coauthor (person)
- Caballero — coauthor (person)
- Lackey — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-12** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2023-01-13** From printer. May be acted upon on or after February 12.
- **2023-01-25** Referred to Com. on PUB S. `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-01** Set for hearing March 28.
- **2023-03-29** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 578.) (March 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2023-04-03** Set for hearing April 10.
- **2023-04-05** April 10 hearing postponed by committee.
- **2023-04-14** Set for hearing April 24.
- **2023-04-19** April 24 hearing postponed by committee.
- **2023-04-21** Set for hearing May 1.
- **2023-05-01** From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar. `committee-passage, reading-2`
- **2023-05-02** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-05-04** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 1003.) Ordered to the Assembly. `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-05-04** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1`
- **2023-05-11** Referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2023-06-06** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S. `amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-06-13** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (June 13). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2023-08-23** From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 23). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-08-24** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2023-08-31** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 2865.) Ordered to the Senate. `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2023-08-31** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
- **2023-09-05** Ordered to special consent calendar.
- **2023-09-07** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2477.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-09-13** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- **2023-10-10** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2023-10-10** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 702, Statutes of 2023. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f96607da-4528-47b2-aeae-9df655f9e0b3`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).