There is an important message:

This Holiday Season, Donate to Monterey County Gives.

Crime & Justice Image

Monterey County Crime & Justice Articles



Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
After a one year search Marina appoints Randy Hopkins as new police chief.

On Tuesday, Jan. 30 the City of Marina announced Randy Hopkins as its new police chief.

Image caption: A new law seeks to prevent cars from speeding, which causes about one of every three traffic fatalities.
If Drivers Won’t Slow Down, Proposed Law Requires Cars Do It for Them

“Intelligent” speed-limiting technology will be required in all new California cars starting in 2027, if a new law authored by San Francisco Senator Scott Wiener passes.

Image caption: Under a new law, homeless people in San Mateo County can be criminally charged for refusing to move to a shelter.
Should Homelessness be a Crime? New San Mateo County Law Allows Charges

In San Mateo County, a new law allows police to charge homeless people with criminal offenses if they don’t accept shelter. SCOTUS will soon weigh in with a potential landmark decision in an Oregon case.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Salinas City Council unanimously approves a two-year contract for police officers.

Salinas City Council voted 6-0 on Tuesday, Jan. 23 to approve a new contract with the Salinas Police Officers Association. Negotiations took place in record time of just three months. The previous contract expired on Dec. 31.

Image caption: California traffic deaths dropped by 12 percent in the first three months of 2023, but road fatalities remain at crisis levels.
Death on the Roads: Traffic Fatality Crisis Far From Over

As the COVID pandemic eased, so did the epidemic of death on the road. Somewhat. But the ongoing crisis of traffic fatalities remains at high levels with early numbers form 2023 appearing to top 4,000 in California.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
City of Salinas approves Red Light Abatement Act ordinance to combat a surge of visible sex work.

On Tuesday, Jan. 9, Salinas City Council voted 5-0 to approve the Red Light Abatement Act ordinance. (Mayor Kimbley Craig and Carla Viviana González were absent.)

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Seeking to abate a surge in sex work, Salinas officials look to nuisance law.

Women dressed in skimpy clothing walking along streets in Salinas has become a common scene near some apartment complexes. Residents living around Kings and Roosevelt streets see sex workers regularly when they go to work, take their kids to school…

Image caption: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (L) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis faced each other in person at last in an acrimonious Fox News debate Nov. 30.
Newsom, DeSantis Finally Square Off in Wild Fox News Debate

Governors Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Ron DeSantis (R-FL) faced each other on a debate stage and traded blows, barbs, and zingers over the relative merits of their states in a Fox News debate that was nothing if not entertaining.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Families of people who died in Monterey County Jail are turning up legal pressure on the County.

In the wake of the sixth inmate death this year at Monterey County Jail, several families of people who have died at the jail have launched wrongful death lawsuits against the County of Monterey and its health care contractor at…

Image caption: How does social media affect the minds and well-being of children? According to California and other states, not well.
California Sues Meta For Damaging Kids’ Mental Health

California and 32 other states are suing Instagram’s parent company, Meta, saying that their apps are damaging to children. Is there evidence for those claims? Here’s why social media is under attack.

Image caption:
What Reparations Could Look Like in California

KQED has spent more than three years reporting on how reparations could work in California. This series looks at the nuanced work that could be needed.

Image caption: A ban on assault weapons is just one of 107 California gun control laws.
California Gun Control Laws and Mass Shootings

California has more gun laws than any other state. Here's how it took a series of mass shootings to make the state the toughest in the country on guns.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Former Carmel police chief Paul Tomasi is returning to the village after his successor was let go.

Former Carmel police chief Paul Tomasi is being welcomed back to the village, after retiring from the post two years ago to head up security at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He's returning as Carmel's director of public safety on Dec.…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Salinas residents are fed up with sex workers in their neighborhoods, and want them gone.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon on Oct. 14, a handful of women wearing high heels and little clothing are walking along Kings and Roosevelt streets in Salinas. A block away, on North Madeira Avenue and Kern Street, neighbors are protesting…

Image caption: Demonstrators in Sacramento went on a hunger strike to persuade Gov. Newsom to okay a bill banning caste discrimination.
Newsom Vetoes 'Unnecessary' Caste Discrimination Bill

Gov. Newsom vetoes what would have been a first-in-the-nation law banning caste discrimination in education, housing and the workplace. The bill divided South Asian communities in California.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
District Attorney won't file charges against anyone in Carmel altercation.

No charges will be filed in the scuffle between Carmel City Administrator Chip Rerig and gallery owner Craig Rose on Sept. 28, Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni announced on Friday, Oct. 6.

Featured

California cities switch to more inclusive, district-based elections system.
Voting Rights...the Final Frontier
Pushed by activists, cities move from at-large elections to district races.
Access to abortion in California is limited in many areas, though state laws protect a woman’s right to choose.
Abortion Rights in California, Explained
But even in California, access to abortion services in many areas remains limited.
The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here
The making of Gov. Newsom's plan to help get mentally ill Californians into treatment.
The cycle of crime and homelessness is escalating, but it doesn't have to be that way.
Homelessness and Crime in California: Even More Complex Than You Think
What causes the cycle of homelessness and crime, and how to stop it.
The California Supreme Court has defined the state’s legal and political agenda for more than 170 years.
How the California Supreme Court Blazes Legal Trails
From its beginnings in the Gold Rush, the state Supreme Court continues to define the state today.
Join Us Today!