A bill Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law on July 19 grants private universities the same state authority public schools enjoy to expel or punish trespassers.
The law was enacted as an urgency statute, meaning it took effect immediately.
“This bill recognizes that the nonprofit sector of higher education has similar responsibilities and is confronting similar public safety challenges as their public counterparts,” Portantino wrote to the Senate. “It will help create safer college campuses by ensuring there is the ability to adequately enforce trespassing at these colleges and universities.”
Senate Bill 748, introduced by Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank), specifies that people who have been dismissed and instructed to leave campus will be punished for trespassing by a fine of no more than $500, by imprisonment in a county jail for no more than 6 months, or by both….