Key Highlights
- The bill, AB 1535, as first reported by the Orange County Register, is called the Hortman-Kirk Political Violence Prevention Act, and is named after former Minnesota Democratic Rep.
- Melissa Hortman and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who were both murdered last year. Under existing California law, hate crimes are criminal acts committed because of a victim’s actual or perceived characteristics such as race, religion, disability or sexual orientation.
- AB 1535 would expand that definition to include political affiliation, defined as "the state of belonging to a political party, the endorsement of a political party or a platform of a political party, or the endorsement of a politician or a platform of a politician." Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk were both killed in 2025.
- (Glen Stubbe/The Minnesota Star Tribune via /Andrew Harnik/) WHY POLITICAL ASSASSINATION CASES AREN'T AUTOMATICALLY DEATH PENALTY ELIGIBLE State Assemblymember Laurie Davies, a Republican from Laguna Niguel, introduced the bill, saying it is intended to promote a culture in which free speech is valued and protected."Our nation was founded on political freedoms.
- However, political violence is detrimental to our democracy and shouldn’t be tolerated," Davies said.
