Next week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider a motion from Supervisors Hilda Solis and Holly Mitchell to declare support for a bill that would automatically “sunset” and seal conviction and...
California Bill Watch
Can California fix long waits in jail? These new bills may help
At least 1,300 unsentenced criminal defendants have been locked in California's county jails for...
CA Lawmakers and LA’s District Attorney Announce Bill to Eliminate “Third Strike” Sentence Enhancements for Crimes Committed by Minors
On Friday, April 9, California Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), Los Angeles County...
Policing Bills Await Decisions in the Legislature’s Public Safety Committees
“Current law provides an opportunity for one officer to make a false statement in a police report...
Bill Would “Sunset” Old Felony Records That Limit Access to Employment, Housing, and Education
An ambitious new bill, SB 731, would automatically and retroactively seal conviction and arrest...
LA County Supes Take Next Steps in Effort to Decriminalize Mental Health Crises
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed two motions to improve mental health...
California Lawmakers Try Again to Get Rid of (Most) Cash Bail
On Wednesday, a trio of California lawmakers introduced bills that would set bail at $0 for all...
New Bill Seeks to Help Defendants Fight Racial Bias in Convictions and Sentences
On Sunday, four California lawmakers announced the introduction of the California Racial Justice...
Stricter Requirements for Becoming a Police Officer & Other New CA Justice Bills
As California’s 2021 legislative session kicks off this month, lawmakers are beginning to...
Prop 20’s Justice Reform Changes Would Send Disproportionate Numbers of Californians of Color into Lockup, Says Report
Proposition 20’s rollback of portions of recent criminal justice reform laws would have a...
Governor Signs Bill to Close State’s Troubled & Systemically Racist Youth Prisons With an Ambitious Plan to Reimagine CA’s Youth Justice System
At approximately 4:42 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, September 30, Governor Gavin...
Governor Newsom Signs and Vetoes Closely Watched Criminal Justice Bills
Between Monday and Wednesday, his final day to sign or veto bills passed during the 2020...
U.S. Congress Passes Two Bills to Address the Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
In some counties comprised primarily of tribal lands, Indigenous women are murdered at rates more...
Crime Survivor Groups and Progressive Prosecutors Urge Mayors to Oppose Proposition 20’s Criminal Justice Reform Roll-Backs
As the November elections near, opposition to Proposition 20, which would roll back key portions of...
Formerly Incarcerated Firefighters Will Now Have a Path to Employment Through Expungement
On Friday, as more than 1,300 incarcerated firefighters continued to battle record-setting blazes...
Important Justice Reform Bills Headed to Newsom, but Time Runs Out for Critical Bill Allowing CA DOJ to Decertify Cops Fired for Misconduct
Monday was the final day of the legislative session, and thus the final day for California...
Stacks of Bills Abandoned After COVID-19, But Protest-Prompted Criminal Justice Bills Remain on the Table
Right now, California legislators are working at record speed to push a COVID-reduced...
Tear Gas Bans: A Policing Change Not Gaining Traction
EDITOR’S NOTE: In a five-to-one vote on Friday, August 7, the California Assembly Public...
CA Lawmaker Introduces New Bills to Further Lift the Veil on Police Misconduct and “Reimagine” Policing
Amid a coronavirus pandemic that shut California’s legislature down for weeks, decimated the...
Nov. 2020 Ballot Measure Weakening CA Justice Reforms Would Harm Communities of Color, Stuff Prisons, and Cost Up to $450 Million Per Year, Says Report
A measure on California’s November ballot aimed at diluting some of the last decade’s...
State Leaders Propose Chokehold and Crowd Control Reforms, While at the County Level, Advocates Call for Changes That Go Deeper Than Use-of-Force Policy
After more than two weeks of protests ignited by George Floyd’s death under the knees of...
CRISES Act Would Allow Community Organizations to Respond to Mental Crises and Other Emergencies
As thousands of people take to the streets in California and across the nation to protest and...
Bill Would Retroactively Expunge Eligible Criminal Records Dating Back to 1973
California Assemblymember Phil Ting has introduced a bill aimed at reducing the collateral...
Measure R: Codifies Subpoena Power for LASD Civilian Oversight Commission, and Requires Jail Population Reduction Plan
On March 3, and during the preceding early voting days, Los Angeles voters will decide whether to...
Bill Would Help Survivors Safely Relocate in the Wake of a Crime
A new California bill announced Friday seeks to tear down an overlooked barrier to safety and...
New Bill Seeks Fewer Wrongful Convictions in California
On Friday, California Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) announced a new bill that he hopes...
Under CA Bill, 18- and 19-year-olds Accused of Crimes Would Stay in Juvenile Court
A new bill announced Tuesday seeks to raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction in California...
Youth Empowerment Act Seeks to Give CA’s Young People a Voice in the Laws and Policies That Affect Them
A California bill soon to land before its first legislative committee seeks to engage the...
Bill Seeks Important Health Care Protections for Pregnant Incarcerated Women
On Thursday, the California Assembly Appropriations Committee unanimously approved AB 732, a bill...
New Year, New Bills: Closing a Loophole in Police Transparency Law, Combatting Violence Against Native Women, and More
It’s January, and that means new and rejuvenated criminal justice bills are just starting to...