Crime & Justice Image

Monterey County Crime & Justice Articles



Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Former Carmel mayor Steve Dallas faces stiff FPPC fines for violating gift and conflict of interest rules.

Controversial former Carmel mayor Steve Dallas was known to enjoy attending high-priced ticket events like Car Week auctions and wine tastings while he served in office from 2016-2018. That fondness for such tony events now has him in hot water…

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
AG Bonta Joins Others in Support of U.S. Ban on ‘Ghost Guns’

The U.S. Department of Justice said it has seen a tenfold increase in the amount of ghost guns seized by law enforcement since 2016.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
A Nevada man, a registered sex offender, is charged in the 1982 death of a 5-year-old Seaside girl.

The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced murder charges on Thursday afternoon, July 7, in a 40-year cold case for the murder of Anne Pham. Pham was a 5-year-old Seaside resident who was kidnapped while walking to her kindergarten class…

Image caption: Assault weapons like the AR-15 rifle remain banned in California, but maybe not for long.
California Assault Weapons Ban May End Due To SCOTUS Ruling

California's assault weapons ban, in place since 1989, may not stand up to a new Supreme Court decision that makes it much harder for states to impose gun control. A federal court brief filed June 30 aims to strike down …

Salinas Valley Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
Grant helps incarcerated students complete degrees through Hartnell College

SALINAS VALLEY — Hartnell College will use a three-year, $480,000 grant from the California Community Colleges (CCC) system to ensure that more incarcerated students not only complete college courses, but also earn a degree and continue their education. The grant, …

Image caption: The 1964 case ‘New York Times v. Sullivan’ is key to maintaining a free press.
Clarence Thomas and the Free Press: Justice Attacks Landmark Case

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is turning his sights on one of the most important press freedom cases, 'New York Times v. Sullivan.' Thomas says he wants to make it easier to sue media companies.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
A new state law requires bartender certification, in an effort to save lives on the road.

Tajha Chappellet-Lanier here, trying to wrap my mind around the impacts of a new law governing the service of alcohol in California.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
County residents protest the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Within hours of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that protected the right to have an abortion in America, thousands of protesters across the country took to the streets on Friday,…

Image caption: Same sex marriage and other rights may soon come under the SCOTUS axe.
Clarence Thomas Wants SCOTUS to Take Back More Rights

If Clarence Thomas gets his way, the Supreme Court won't stop at revoking the right to abortion. Same sex marriage, contraception and gay sex are likely to be next on the SCOTUS hit list.

Image caption: Justice Clarence Thomas calls for SCOTUS to pull back even more established rights after Roe v. Wade.
Why Clarence Thomas Wants to Throw Out Your Rights

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that after overturning Roe v. Wade SCOTUS must now overturn decisions allowing same-sex marriage and contraception. Here's why.

Image caption: The U.S. Supreme Court struck a blow at a two-decade-old California workers' rights law.
SCOTUS Scales Back Law Allowing Employee Lawsuits

The U.S. Supreme Court scaled back California's Private Attorney Generals Act, a 19-year-old law allowing workers to sue employers over labor code violations. But a new ballot initiate aims to repeal PAGA completely.

Image caption: 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

The links between homelessness and crime are complex, and the idea that unhoused individuals present a danger to their community seems to be exaggerated.

Image caption: Crime in California cities may not be quite the voting issue the national media says it is.
Did California Voters Send a ‘Message’ on Crime? Not So Fast!

Do California's election results in Los Angeles and San Francisco mean this blue state is flirting with turning red? That's what the national media is trying to say. But there's a lot more to the story.

Image caption: Some of California's largest tech forms, such as Facebook, would be hit hard by a new Texas law.
Supreme Court Protects California’s Social Media Giants

A Texas law that would have placed cumbersome restrictions on social media companies has been blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court, in an unusual alliance between liberal and conservative justices.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
New Carmel Police Chief Alan Ward is sworn in.

After 23 years serving on the police force in Merced, Alan Ward has been sworn in as police chief in Carmel.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Monterey County Superior Court will host the trial in a 25-year-old murder case.

Cal Poly student Kristin Smart’s unsolved disappearance in 1996 has remained a live wire, sparking more than 25 years of investigations, newspaper stories and highway billboards. Smart’s body was never recovered, but in April 2021, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s…

Image caption:
California’s Reparations Could Include Tuition, Housing Grants

California’s first-in-the-nation task force to identify reparations said business loans, housing grants, tuition, wage and job protections could provide redress for African Americans.

Image caption: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies lost more than half of their value in just six months.
The Great Crypto Crash of 2022, Explained

Crypto investors have seen more than half of their cryptocurrency value wiped out in six months. What is crypto, and what caused the great crash of 2022?

Salinas Valley Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
Gonzales Police Department promotes officers

GONZALES — Cesar Castillo and Nathan Cordoba were both promoted to police corporals with the Gonzales Police Department on April 18. Castillo served in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1997 as an infantry rifleman and was honorably discharged in 2001. …

Image caption:
Former Hartnell College Employee Arrested for Embezzlement

The Hartnell College employee who came under investigation last November by the Salinas Police Department for allegedly embezzling thousands of dollars has been arrested. Rocio Mendoza, 51, was arrested on 11 counts of identity theft and embezzlement on Tuesday, May…

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!