The Overview
If your child plays on a youth sports team, the facility hosting their games and practices will soon be required to have a defibrillator on hand. California's Nevaeh Youth Sports Safety Act, AB 387, became law when Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed it Sept. 27.
The law builds on an earlier version of the Nevaeh Youth Sports Safety Act, which already requires youth sports organizations to ensure access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) by Jan. 1, 2028; the new law extends that obligation to the facilities themselves. Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading medical cause of death among young athletes, and news investigations have found that many youth and school sporting venues lack AEDs on site, according to CNN. The facility requirements take effect Jan. 1, 2028.
What the Law Does
Starting Jan. 1, 2028, any public or private local facility with permanent sports infrastructure must ensure that a youth sports organization using the facility has access to an AED procured and maintained by the facility during any official practice or match it permits. If no AED is available at the facility, the youth sports organization itself must ensure access to an operational AED at that location. Facilities must keep their AEDs maintained and tested to specified guidelines, work with youth sports organizations to make sure any installed AED is accessible during events, and collaborate with those organizations to share the financial costs of maintaining or installing an AED.
The law places the backup obligation on the youth sports organization when a facility has no AED of its own, meaning at least one party in any permitted game or practice must have a working device on site. Local educational agencies are carved out from some of those requirements.
Legislative Status
Asm. Juan Alanis (R) sponsored the bill. The Assembly Judiciary Committee passed it 11 to 1 on March 11, 2025. The full Assembly then passed it 67 to 0 on March 13, 2025. The Senate Health Committee approved it 11 to 0 on June 24, 2026. The full Senate passed it 40 to 0 on Aug. 27, 2026, and the Assembly concurred in Senate amendments 77 to 0 the same day. From introduction to the governor's signature, the bill took more than 19 months.
Every recorded floor vote in both chambers was unanimous, with no member casting a no vote in the full Assembly, the Senate Health Committee, or the final Senate and Assembly concurrence tallies. Abby Pendleton, speaking on behalf of Alanis, told the Newman City Council that AB 387 was among the bills sent to the governor, the Citizen Portal reported.
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