Criminal procedure: protective orders.

Senator Valladares' protective order legislation expands California courts' authority to issue permanent protective orders for victims of serious and violent felonies. The measure allows courts to prohibit defendants convicted of these offenses from contacting victims for life, rather than the current 10-year maximum duration.

The bill establishes specific criteria for issuing permanent protective orders, including convictions for serious or violent felonies as defined in state law and offenses requiring sex offender registration. Courts may also permanently extend certain existing protective orders under defined circumstances. Victims retain the right to petition for removal of permanent orders, with courts required to verify such requests through hearings.

Local jurisdictions that adopt electronic monitoring policies may require defendants subject to protective orders to undergo monitoring for up to one year. Courts must evaluate defendants' ability to pay monitoring costs, with local governments covering expenses for indigent defendants. The Judicial Council will develop standardized forms and procedures for implementing these expanded protections.

The legislation maintains existing provisions that allow protective orders to remain in effect despite dismissal of underlying criminal cases through various relief mechanisms. It also preserves current protocols for law enforcement verification and enforcement of orders, including prioritization of emergency protective orders in cases with multiple valid orders.