Senator Shannon Grove and The American Council Introduce Legislation to Protect Places of Worship For All Faiths in California

February 13, 2026 – Sacramento, CA: California State Senator Shannon Grove, in partnership with The American Council, announced new legislation to strengthen protections for people of every religious background who gather for worship in California. The bill updates California Penal Code Section 302, which addresses intentional disruptions of religious worship at tax-exempt places of worship.

California is stronger when worship is protected.

Senate Bill 1070 updates California Penal Code 302 by adjusting penalties for intentional disruptions of religious worship at tax-exempt places of worship, allowing serious cases to be charged appropriately while preserving community service options and strengthening consequences for repeat offenders.

The legislation is drawing broad support across political lines and across faith traditions, because protecting peaceful worship is a shared civic value for every Californian.

When many congregations and religious minorities feel increased concern about harassment and disruption, this bill reinforces dignity, stability, and peace of mind.

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"Thank you for your efforts to bring this bill forward. I think it is really important to be able to ensure safe, peaceful, and uninterrupted religious worship. Respect for the sanctity of worship has been violated; a bill such as this can help bring back the respect and awe that religious worship deserves."

- Rabbi Yossi Korik

The American Council emphasized that the effort is rooted in a simple principle: every person should be able to worship in peace, without intimidation, harassment, or disruption. The bill is intended to protect all faith communities, including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Catholics, Buddhists, and any other religious groups that gather lawfully for worship.

“Freedom of worship is not a partisan value; it is a human and civil right,” said American Council President Tanner DiBella. “This bill is about ensuring that families and congregations, regardless of tradition or denomination, can gather without fear of being intentionally disrupted.”

“With more and more aggressive disruptions targeting religious gatherings across California and nationwide, we must act to safeguard the constitutional rights to free exercise of religion and peaceful assembly,” said Senator Shannon Grove. “This bill treats ALL places of worship as the sacred spaces they are by allowing courts to use their discretion to charge perpetrators with a felony for serious or repeated conduct that interrupts worship.”

The bill would create a wobbler offense for intentional disruptions of religious worship, allowing prosecutors to charge serious, coordinated, or repeated disturbances as a felony while preserving misdemeanor options for less severe cases. Felony penalties include a fine of up to $5,000, county jail for 16 months, two years, or three years, or both.