Senate Bill 1070: Clergy Petition

LEGISLATION TO PROTECT ALL SPACES OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP IN CALIFORNIA

California is at its best when people of different backgrounds can live side by side with mutual respect. Houses of worship are one of the few places where that respect becomes visible, week after week, in prayer, service, community care, and moral formation. When a worship gathering is intentionally disrupted, the harm is not abstract. It lands on families, elders, children, and first-time guests. It erodes trust, unsettles communities, and turns sacred space into something guarded.

Senator Shannon Grove, in partnership with The American Council and Pastor Tanner DiBella, are introducing a new bill that is a practical, measured update to California Penal Code 302 to address intentional disruptions of religious worship gatherings at tax exempt places of 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.

It supports consistent protection for worship services across all faith backgrounds.

We are counting on clergy from all religious backgrounds to rally around this and support this non-partisan bill to protect worship. California is stronger when people feel safe to worship freely.

Regards,

Pastor Tanner DiBella, The American Council

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