republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20172018/ab-1290.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Lawyer-client privilege: holder of the privilege."
description: "Existing law provides that the client of a lawyer has a privilege to refuse to disclose, and to prevent another from disclosing, a confidential communication between the client and lawyer if the privilege is claimed by the holder of the privilege. Existing law defines \"holder of the privilege\" to include a guardian or conservator of the client, if the client has a guardian or conservator."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20172018"
identifier: "AB 1290"
citation: "California AB 1290 (20172018)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Lawyer-client privilege: holder of the privilege."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Obernolte"]
version_count: 9
action_count: 30
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2017-02-17"
last_action: "2018-09-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1f0594ca-add0-4f25-83bc-d38221a0ebfc"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290"
source_hash: "fe3cfcc0e391cb64583e32f4869047ac4b71387c49d8096ea70c91a4647d4515"
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 1290 (20172018) — Lawyer-client privilege: holder of the privilege.

Existing law provides that the client of a lawyer has a privilege to refuse to disclose, and to prevent another from disclosing, a confidential communication between the client and lawyer if the privilege is claimed by the holder of the privilege. Existing law defines "holder of the privilege" to include a guardian or conservator of the client, if the client has a guardian or conservator.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/17/17 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129099INT)
2. **04/06/17 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129098AMD)
3. **04/20/17 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129097AMD)
4. **06/19/17 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129096AMD)
5. **08/20/18 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129094AMD)
6. **08/22/17 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129095AMD)
7. **09/18/18 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129092CHP)
8. **AB1290** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290)
9. **08/31/18 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129093ENR)

## Sponsors

- Obernolte — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2017-02-17** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2017-02-19** From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.
- **2017-03-13** Referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee`
- **2017-04-06** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on JUD. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1`
- **2017-04-17** Re-referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee`
- **2017-04-19** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 18). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, amendment-introduction`
- **2017-04-20** Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading. `reading-1, amendment-passage, reading-2`
- **2017-04-24** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2017-04-27** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 1271.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2017-04-27** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2017-05-10** Referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee`
- **2017-06-13** In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
- **2017-06-19** 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`
- **2017-06-27** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **2017-08-21** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 18). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, amendment-introduction`
- **2017-08-22** Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, amendment-passage, reading-2`
- **2017-08-23** Ordered to special consent calendar.
- **2017-08-31** Ordered to third reading.
- **2017-09-14** Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Nguyen.
- **2018-08-20** From inactive file.
- **2018-08-20** Ordered to second reading.
- **2018-08-20** Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading. `reading-1, amendment-passage, reading-2`
- **2018-08-21** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2018-08-28** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 1. Page 5892.). `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2018-08-28** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 30 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2018-08-29** Assembly Rule 77 suspended. (Page 6773.)
- **2018-08-29** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 6885.). `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2018-09-06** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
- **2018-09-18** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2018-09-18** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 475, Statutes of 2018.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1f0594ca-add0-4f25-83bc-d38221a0ebfc`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).