§ 695.030.Property Not Assignable Or Transferable Not Subject to Enforcement; Property Subject to Enforcement

Not every asset a debtor owns can change hands. Some property, by its nature or by contract, can't be assigned or transferred at all. Section 695.030(a) says that kind of property generally falls outside judgment enforcement too -- if the debtor can't transfer it voluntarily, a creditor generally can't force a transfer through the enforcement process either.

Subdivision (b) then pulls two categories back in as exceptions, even though they might otherwise look nonassignable. A debtor's interest in a trust is reachable to the extent other law allows -- a qualification that sends the real analysis to trust law rather than resolving it here. A cause of action for money or property that's the subject of a pending action or special proceeding is reachable too, meaning a debtor's live lawsuit seeking a recovery can itself become an asset a creditor can pursue.

The opening phrase "except as otherwise provided by statute" in subdivision (a) signals that the exceptions in subdivision (b) aren't necessarily the only ones -- other statutes scattered through California law can make additional nonassignable property reachable as well.