Monterey County Crime & Justice Articles

‘You small, pathetic man,’ Gavin Newsom wrote in a Twitter post suggesting he’d pursue criminal charges against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over recent migrant flights to Sacramento.

California is unwinding the prison-building boom of the 1980s and 1990s. The cuts are falling on small towns that banked on government jobs to anchor their communities.

More than 4 percent of death penalty convicts have been wrongfully convicted, data shows. But courts including the U.S. Supreme Court have failed to provide protections for the innocent facing death at the hands of the state.

GREENFIELD — Five new police officers and one community service officer, all bilingual speakers, have joined the Greenfield Police Department. Officers Damian Ayala, Daniel Lopez and Michael Ramirez are recent graduates from the police academy, and Officers Antonio Jardines and …

The Monterey County Civil Grand Jury has released a new report on the county Coroner’s Office, finding issues with insufficient staffing and inefficient workflows resulting in autopsy reports often taking more than six months to complete.

The death penalty remains legal in California, but Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a moratorium on executions in 2019. Will capital punishment end in the state? Here’s what’s happening.

KING CITY — California Board of Parole Hearings has granted parole and a future release date to Angela Zuniga, who was convicted of second-degree murder of a Salinas teenager in 2013. Zuniga, of King City, was 21 years old at …

There are serious efforts being made to cut back on the number of non-public safety tickets police give out. In Seaside alone, about 50 tickets are written for broken tail lights or headlights each year.

KING CITY — Police chiefs of King City’s past, Keith Boyd and Robert Masterson, gathered with the town’s newest Chief of Police James Hunt during his swearing-in ceremony May 9 inside the Council Chambers. Hunt took over the position from …

With applause and cheers, dozens of people celebrated a unanimous vote on Tuesday, May 16 by Salinas City Council to repeal a ban on cruising on city streets.

The California Supreme Court has kept the state at the forefront of legal issues surrounding abortion, the death penalty and same-sex marriage, starting in its earliest days in the Gold Rush era.

KING CITY — Monterey law firm Fenton & Keller has opened a new law office in King City, led by attorney John E. Kesecker, following a soft opening on May 1, with plans for an official opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony …

Just yesterday, Weekly Editor Sara Rubin wrote in this newsletter about the incredible 10-year journey of Matika Wilbur, an Indigenous woman from the Swinomish and Tulalip tribes of coastal Washington who set out across America to document the stories of…

On July 6, 2016, Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez pulled over 32-year-old Philando Castile for a broken taillight near Minneapolis. The officer asked Castile for his license and registration; as he reached, Yanez shot and killed Castile.

Lawyers representing Monterey County Jail inmates in a settlement over conditions claim that the jail’s health care provider is in violation of the terms of the agreement – and they are requesting to unseal redacted reports detailing the alleged failures.

GREENFIELD — Greenfield City Manager Paul Wood has appointed Capt. Guillermo “Bill” Mixer as chief of police for the City of Greenfield effective April 27. As police chief, Mixer will also serve as a member of the Greenfield Executive Team, …

GONZALES — Officer Joshua Macias was sworn in as the newest member of the Gonzales Police Department by Chief Keith Wise on April 17. “Welcome on board Officer Macias,” the department said on social media.

The Correctional Training Facility in Soledad announced the death of Jaime Brugada Valdez, known in the rap industry as MoneySign Suede. MoneySign was stabbed to death in the shower in the evening of Tuesday, April 25, according to a statement…

The city of Pacific Grove has settled out of court a $1 million free speech lawsuit filed last year by former P.G. Police officer Michael Gonzalez. Under the agreement signed by Gonzalez and P.G. Assistant City Manager Tori Hannah on…

Fears that violent crime is out of control on the streets of California cities rose after the murder of a well-known tech exec. But what are the facts and do they back up the rising moral panic about crime?