Government Code section 12532.1
(a)
The rights of individuals housed or civilly detained in California, as provided in Section 53.9 of the Civil Code, Section 4502, 4503, 5325, and 5325.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and Section 883 and 884 of Title 9 of the California Code of Regulations, shall be observed and protected by the operator of any facility in California in which the individuals are housed or civilly detained.(b)
(1)The Attorney General may bring a civil action for injunctive and other appropriate declaratory or equitable relief in the name of the people of the State of California in order to protect any right described in Section 53.9 of the Civil Code, Section 4502, 4503, 5325, or 5325.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, or Section 883 or 884 of Title 9 of the California Code of Regulations. An action brought by the Attorney General to remediate a violation of those rights may also seek a civil penalty not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) for each violation.(2)
This subdivision does not alter the authority of the Attorney General to bring a civil action under any other law.(c)
The Attorney General, or the Attorney General’s designee, shall be provided all necessary access for the observations necessary to ensure compliance with this section, including, but not limited to, access to detainees, patients, facilities, officials, personnel, and records.
Source:
Section 12532.1, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV§ionNum=12532.1. (updated Sep. 29, 2026; accessed Oct. 5, 2026).
