San Benito County Local News: Crime & Justice


All Local Crime & Justice News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here

How the California mental health crisis emerged out of the state’s history of deinstitutionalization and laws designed to protect the mentally ill, as well as the communities around them.

Image caption: 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

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.

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: 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

California has historically been ahead of the rest of the country in expanding the legal right to abortion services. Here’s what state laws say today, and how we got here.

Image caption: 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.

Gilroy Dispatch logo From Gilroy Dispatch...

02/13/2025
Image for display with article titled Gilroy Police Chief Announces Retirement

After a 30-year career in law enforcement, including 22 years with the Gilroy Police Department, Chief Pedro Espinoza has announced his retirement.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/12/2025
A California appeals court rules a baker can’t refuse to sell a generic cake to a lesbian couple. It’s part of a series of cases shaping the debate over free speech and anti-discrimination laws.

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02/10/2025
Interviews suggest some people swept up in Trump’s immigration crackdown are dedicated to their families and communities — not hardened criminals.

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01/27/2025
Image for display with article titled Local Leaders Aim to Quell Undocumented Families’ Fears

San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor said Jan. 25 that his department will not help the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with its plans to escalate the enforcement of immigration laws.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/27/2025
One of President Trump’s first executive orders threatened to withhold federal funding from so-called sanctuary jurisdictions. California is one of them.

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01/21/2025
Image for display with article titled LULAC Condemns Executive Order Threatening Birthright Citizenship

As President of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 2890, our council stands with State and National LULAC, in strongly opposing President Trump’s executive order targeting birthright citizenship. This fundamental right, guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, is a cornerstone of our democracy and must not be undermined.

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01/17/2025
Image for display with article titled Cal Fire Warns About Scam Donation Requests

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) is alerting the public about fraudulent social media accounts impersonating Cal Fire and soliciting donations. Cal Fire does not solicit donations from the public, either in person or online.Additionally, all of Cal Fire’s social media accounts are verified accounts and have the blue or gray checkmark and are categorized as a Government Organization.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/09/2025
State prisoners have long been a part of California’s firefighting force. Hundreds of them now are deployed in Los Angeles County.

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01/06/2025
After two reparations bills stalled in the final day of session last year, reparation advocates are campaigned at the state Capitol to drum up support for the same measures.

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01/05/2025
Image for display with article titled Insight Health Denies Claims of Fraud at Chicago Hospital

Insight Health has denied allegations that it engages in questionable practices to defraud insurance companies and sell patients unneeded services, as alleged in a recent American Prospect magazine article. 

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

01/03/2025
While cities in California continue to pass ordinances to combat illegal sideshows, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several laws that go into effect this year statewide to give municipalities more legal tools to address them. 

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01/02/2025
California legislators want to limit deportation actions at schools, but they can’t ban immigration officials.

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12/31/2024
Image for display with article titled New California Laws Take Effect on Jan. 1

Read on to learn about some of the new California laws going into effect in 2025.

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12/26/2024
Californians accused of certain drug and retail theft crimes may already be facing stiffer penalties under an initiative voters passed this year, alongside related bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law. 

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

12/26/2024
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS ARE proving that they play a vital role when it comes to public safety in California. The California Reentry Institute, directed by Collette Carroll to help potential parolees, has graduated more than 230 incarcerated individuals in San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.

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12/23/2024
Image for display with article titled Immigrants Learn About Rights and Available Tools

The Latino Coalition of San Benito County hosted a session with more than 30 community members who heard about their rights from two immigration lawyers.

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12/21/2024
Image for display with article titled Amber Alert: Child Abduction

Selene Zalvala (7) and Osvaido Sebastian (2) were last seen at Livingston Ave. and San Antonio Dr. in King City. Law enforcement alleges they were taken by Jacqueline Guajardo (28).

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12/19/2024
Image for display with article titled Magazine Report on Insight Health Raises Questions About Its Practices

A damning investigation by The American Prospect magazine into Insight Health claims that the company engages in questionable business practices and is buying troubled hospitals with false promises that it will save them.The article, titled “The Ambulance Chasers of Totaled Hospitals,” reviewed court documents and other public records and spoke to unnamed former Insight employees. ​

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/16/2024
California recorded historically high numbers of deaths in county jails for the past six years. Now, counties expect to house more prisoners as Prop. 36 takes effect.