SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Just days after the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon capable of collecting communications signals, two California lawmakers have introduced a bill intended to block hostile foreign governments from conducting surveillance of sensitive American locations.
Assembly Bill 475, co-introduced by Assemblyman Devon Mathis, R-Visalia, and Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, prohibits any foreign government from purchasing, acquiring, leasing or holding a financial interest in any property located within 50 miles of a U.S. military or California National Guard base.
The bill exempts any land already held by foreign governments prior to Jan. 1, 2024, and does not conflict with existing U.S. treaty obligations. Mathis’ chief of staff, Justin Boman, told The Bee in an email that the bill may be amended to replace the words “foreign government” with the words “prohibited foreign actor.”
