Section 6306 Of Chapter 1. General Provisions From California Family Law Code >> Division 10. >> Part 4. >> Chapter 1.
6306
. (a) Prior to a hearing on the issuance or denial of an order
under this part, the court shall ensure that a search is or has been
conducted to determine if the subject of the proposed order has any
prior criminal conviction for a violent felony specified in Section
667.5 of the Penal Code or a serious felony specified in Section
1192.7 of the Penal Code; has any misdemeanor conviction involving
domestic violence, weapons, or other violence; has any outstanding
warrant; is currently on parole or probation; has a registered
firearm; or has any prior restraining order or any violation of a
prior restraining order. The search shall be conducted of all records
and databases readily available and reasonably accessible to the
court, including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) The California Sex and Arson Registry (CSAR).
(2) The Supervised Release File.
(3) State summary criminal history information maintained by the
Department of Justice pursuant to Section 11105 of the Penal Code.
(4) The Federal Bureau of Investigation's nationwide database.
(5) Locally maintained criminal history records or databases.
However, a record or database need not be searched if the
information available in that record or database can be obtained as a
result of a search conducted in another record or database.
(b) (1) Prior to deciding whether to issue an order under this
part or when determining appropriate temporary custody and visitation
orders, the court shall consider the following information obtained
pursuant to a search conducted under subdivision (a): any conviction
for a violent felony specified in Section 667.5 of the Penal Code or
a serious felony specified in Section 1192.7 of the Penal Code; any
misdemeanor conviction involving domestic violence, weapons, or other
violence; any outstanding warrant; parole or probation status; any
prior restraining order; and any violation of a prior restraining
order.
(2) Information obtained as a result of the search that does not
involve a conviction described in this subdivision shall not be
considered by the court in making a determination regarding the
issuance of an order pursuant to this part. That information shall be
destroyed and shall not become part of the public file in this or
any other civil proceeding.
(c) (1) After issuing its ruling, the court shall advise the
parties that they may request the information described in
subdivision (b) upon which the court relied. The court shall admonish
the party seeking the proposed order that it is unlawful, pursuant
to Sections 11142 and 13303 of the Penal Code, to willfully release
the information, except as authorized by law.
(2) Upon the request of either party to obtain the information
described in subdivision (b) upon which the court relied, the court
shall release the information to the parties or, upon either party's
request, to his or her attorney in that proceeding.
(3) The party seeking the proposed order may release the
information to his or her counsel, court personnel, and
court-appointed mediators for the purpose of seeking judicial review
of the court's order or for purposes of court proceedings under
Section 213.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(d) Any information obtained as a result of the search conducted
pursuant to subdivision (a) and relied upon by the court shall be
maintained in a confidential case file and shall not become part of
the public file in the proceeding or any other civil proceeding.
However, the contents of the confidential case file shall be
disclosed to the court-appointed mediator assigned to the case or to
a child custody evaluator appointed by the court pursuant to Section
3111 of the Family Code or Section 730 of the Evidence Code. All
court-appointed mediators and child custody evaluators appointed or
contracted by the court pursuant to Section 3111 of the Family Code
or Section 730 of the Evidence Code who may receive information from
the search conducted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be subject to,
and shall comply with, the California Law Enforcement
Telecommunications System policies, practices, and procedures adopted
pursuant to Section 15160 of the Government Code.
(e) If the results of the search conducted pursuant to subdivision
(a) indicate that an outstanding warrant exists against the subject
of the order, the court shall order the clerk of the court to
immediately notify, by the most effective means available,
appropriate law enforcement officials of the issuance and contents of
any protective order and of any other information obtained through
the search that the court determines is appropriate. The law
enforcement officials so notified shall take all actions necessary to
execute any outstanding warrants or any other actions, with respect
to the restrained person, as appropriate and as soon as practicable.
(f) If the results of the search conducted pursuant to subdivision
(a) indicate that the subject of the order is currently on parole or
probation, the court shall order the clerk of the court to
immediately notify, by the most effective means available, the
appropriate parole or probation officer of the issuance and contents
of any protective order issued by the court and of any other
information obtained through the search that the court determines is
appropriate. That officer shall take all actions necessary to revoke
any parole or probation, or any other actions, with respect to the
restrained person, as appropriate and as soon as practicable.
(g) Nothing in this section shall delay the granting of an
application for an order that may otherwise be granted without the
information resulting from the database search. If the court finds
that a protective order under this part should be granted on the
basis of the affidavit presented with the petition, the court shall
issue the protective order and shall then ensure that a search is
conducted pursuant to subdivision (a) prior to the hearing.