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CALIFORNIA Legislation 

Cal. Pen. Code § 273.7

Disclosure of Trafficking or Domestic Violence Shelter

1. A person who maliciously publishes, disseminates, or otherwise discloses the location of a trafficking shelter or domestic violence shelter or a place designated as a trafficking shelter or domestic violence shelter, without the authorization of that trafficking shelter or domestic violence shelter, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

2. For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

   1. “Domestic violence shelter” means a confidential location that provides emergency housing on a 24-hour basis for victims of sexual assault, spousal abuse, or both, and their families.

   2. “Trafficking shelter” means a confidential location that provides emergency housing on a 24-hour basis for victims of human trafficking, including any person who is a victim under Section 236.1.

   3. Sexual assault, spousal abuse, or both, include, but are not limited to, those crimes described in Sections 240, 242, 243.4, 261, 261.5, 264.1, 266, 266a, 266b, 266c, 266f, 273.5, 273.6, 285, 288, and 289.

3. This section does not apply to confidential communications between an attorney and their client.

Amendment History:

2021 Amendment (ch 626):

In (a), substituted “A person” for “Any person”, “a trafficking shelter” for “any trafficking shelter” and “a place designated” for “any place designated”; added the introductory language of (b); deleted former designation (b); substituted “‘Domestic violence shelter’” for “For purposes of this section, “domestic violence shelter’” in (b)(1); substituted “‘Trafficking shelter’” for “For purposes of this section, “trafficking shelter’” in (b)(2); deleted “262,” preceding “264.1”; and in (c), substituted “This section does not apply” for “Nothing in this section shall apply” and “their client” for “his or her client”.

Amendments:

1994 Amendment:

Added (1) the comma after “disseminates” in subd (a); and (2) “262,” in subd (b)(2).

2005 Amendment:

(1) Added “trafficking shelter or” wherever it appears in subd (a); (2) added subd (b)(2); and (3) redesignated former subd (b)(2) to be subd (b)(3).

2006 Amendment:

1. Substituted “that” for “which” after “confidential location” in subds (b)(1) and (b)(2); and

(2) substituted “include, but are” for “includes but is” after “abuse, or both,” in subd (b)(3).

Source: LexisNexis

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