republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20212022/ab-1290.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Crimes: theft: animals."
description: "Existing law prohibits the theft of personal property, as specified. Existing law, for purposes of provisions related to theft, declares that a dog is personal property and that the value of a dog shall be determined in the same manner as for other personal property. Under existing law, theft of a dog with a value exceeding $950 is grand theft and theft of a dog with a value not exceeding $950 is petty theft. Existing appellate case law holds that a cat is personal property for purposes of theft. Existing law defines a feral cat as a cat without owner identification whose usual and consistent temperament is extreme fear and resistance to contact with people and who is totally unsocialized to people."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20212022"
identifier: "AB 1290"
citation: "California AB 1290 (20212022)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Crimes: theft: animals."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Lee"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 34
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2021-02-19"
last_action: "2022-09-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/3d039372-0bdc-4faa-bbda-5d648cb5b246"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1290"
source_hash: "d9d4f7cf7445aa972f9d8bc31491982a8875dc739e618dff433605598ff167de"
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 (20212022) — Crimes: theft: animals.

Existing law prohibits the theft of personal property, as specified. Existing law, for purposes of provisions related to theft, declares that a dog is personal property and that the value of a dog shall be determined in the same manner as for other personal property. Under existing law, theft of a dog with a value exceeding $950 is grand theft and theft of a dog with a value not exceeding $950 is petty theft. Existing appellate case law holds that a cat is personal property for purposes of theft. Existing law defines a feral cat as a cat without owner identification whose usual and consistent temperament is extreme fear and resistance to contact with people and who is totally unsocialized to people.

## Version chain

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

1. **02/19/21 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1290&version=20210AB129099INT)
2. **06/15/22 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1290&version=20210AB129098AMD)
3. **06/30/22 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1290&version=20210AB129097AMD)
4. **08/25/22 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1290&version=20210AB129096AMD)
5. **09/26/22 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1290&version=20210AB129094CHP)
6. **AB1290** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1290)
7. **09/02/22 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1290&version=20210AB129095ENR)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading AB1290 Lee By Stern — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **12–0** (pass) · lower
- AB 1290 Lee Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **80–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **5–0** (pass) · upper
- Special Consent AB1290 — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **14–0** (pass) · lower
- AB 1290 Lee Consent Calendar Second Day — **77–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Lee — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-02-19** Introduced. To print. `introduction`
- **2021-02-20** From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.
- **2021-02-22** Read first time. `reading-1`
- **2021-03-04** Referred to Com. on HIGHER ED. `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-12** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2021-04-21** From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 21). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-22** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2021-04-29** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 1252.) `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2021-05-03** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2021-05-12** Referred to Com. on ED. `referral-committee`
- **2021-06-07** In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
- **2022-06-15** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on ED. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2022-06-16** Withdrawn from committee.
- **2022-06-16** Re-referred to Com. on RLS. `referral-committee`
- **2022-06-16** Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2022-06-29** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 28). `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2022-06-30** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2022-08-01** Withdrawn from committee.
- **2022-08-01** Ordered to second reading.
- **2022-08-02** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2022-08-18** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 4904.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2022-08-18** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 20 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2022-08-22** Ordered to the Senate.
- **2022-08-22** In Senate. Held at Desk.
- **2022-08-25** Action rescinded whereby the bill was read third time, passed, and to Assembly. `passage, reading-3`
- **2022-08-25** Ordered to third reading.
- **2022-08-25** Read third time and amended. Ordered to third reading. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2022-08-30** Ordered to special consent calendar.
- **2022-08-31** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 5368.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2022-08-31** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- **2022-08-31** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 80. Noes 0.). `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2022-09-13** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- **2022-09-26** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2022-09-26** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 546, Statutes of 2022. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/3d039372-0bdc-4faa-bbda-5d648cb5b246`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).