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Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 221 into law! The bill was authored by State Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) and cosponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation and the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
On behalf of our thousands of supporters in California, we want to thank Governor Newsom for his compassion and thoughtfulness in signing this important legislation into law. We also want to thank Senator Ochoa Bogh for her relentless advocacy for SB 221, and the entire legislature which voted for it unanimously.
"Most Americans consider their pets family, with a statistical majority of women considering their pets as important to them as human family members. This highlights how easy it is for stalkers to strike fear in and control over their victims by threatening harm to their companion animals," said Judie Mancuso, Founder and President of Social Compassion in Legislation, cosponsor of SB 221. "It is well established that violence against animals is directly linked to violence against people. This law will help prevent the emotional toll that this kind of stalking behavior can take on victims, while also stopping physical violence before it happens - to both animals and humans."
“For years I have worked to strengthen California’s stalking laws to ensure they reflect the real tactics victims face,” said State Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa). “SB 221 recognizes that stalkers often target what victims love most, their pets, to use as a weapon of intimidation. This law makes it clear that using animals to terrorize victims is stalking, and it will now carry consequences. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues in the Legislature and to the many advocates who stood with me year after year to finally see this bill through.”
“SB 221 holds stalkers accountable and closes a loophole in California law that has allowed abusers to manipulate and terrorize victims by threatening their pets. We thank Senator Ochoa Bogh for her strong commitment to public safety and protecting vulnerable victims,” said Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin.
SB 221 strengthens protections for stalking victims by making it a crime not only to threaten or harass a person, but also to threaten their pets. Under this new law, anyone who willfully and repeatedly harasses someone and makes a credible threat aimed at a victim’s pet, service animal, or horse can face stalking charges—with significant jail time and fines.
When a restraining order already exists, penalties are harsher, and past convictions in domestic violence or related crimes lead to elevated sentences.
"By closing this gap, SB 221 recognizes that threats to animals are often part of emotional abuse and holds perpetrators accountable for targeting the bond between people and their pets," said Nickolaus Sackett, Director of Legislative Affairs for Social Compassion in Legislation.
The bill goes into effect January 1, 2026.
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