Cal. WIC § 5303.1
This is the official text of Cal. WIC § 5303.1, part of California’s Welfare and Institutions Code — governs public social services, juvenile justice, and mental health/developmental disability services.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Official statutory text
For the purposes of any hearing or jury trial held pursuant to this article, the judge of the court in which such hearing or trial is held may appoint a psychiatrist or psychologist with forensic skills. Such psychiatrist or psychologist shall personally examine the person named in the petition. Such a forensic psychiatrist or psychologist shall testify at the hearing or jury trial concerning the mental condition of the person named in the petition and the threat of substantial physical harm to other beings such person presents, and neither the professional person or his designee who petitioned for the additional period of treatment nor of the physicians providing intensive treatment shall be required, unless the person named in the petition chooses to subpoena such persons, to be present at the hearing or jury trial.
If a psychiatrist or psychologist with forensic skills is not appointed pursuant to this section the person named in the petition may, upon advice of counsel, waive the presence at the hearing or at the jury trial of the professional person or his designee who petitioned for the additional period of treatment and the physicians providing intensive treatment. In the event of such waiver, such professional person, his designee, or other physicians shall not be required to be present at the hearing if it is stipulated that the certification, supporting affidavit and records of such physicians concerning the mental condition of the person named in the petition will be received in evidence.
If a psychiatrist or psychologist with forensic skills is not appointed pursuant to this section the person named in the petition may, upon advice of counsel, waive the presence at the hearing or at the jury trial of the professional person or his designee who petitioned for the additional period of treatment and the physicians providing intensive treatment. In the event of such waiver, such professional person, his designee, or other physicians shall not be required to be present at the hearing if it is stipulated that the certification, supporting affidavit and records of such physicians concerning the mental condition of the person named in the petition will be received in evidence.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in California?
Find a California lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.