San Benito County Local Crime & Justice News Articles and Digest

Homelessness Land Use & Development Crime & Justice

CA Cities Jump on Homeless Encampment Bans

09/13/2024
For five years, California officials responding to the homelessness crisis had to work around one big restriction imposed by the federal courts: Because they didn’t have enough shelter beds, cities generally couldn’t make homeless camps illegal.

From CalMatters...

Homelessness Crime & Justice

No Sleeping Bags, Keep Moving: California Cities Increase Crackdown on Homeless Encampments

09/11/2024
More than two-dozen California cities passed, strengthened or are considering ordinances that penalize people for sleeping outside, after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed cities to crack down.

From Benito Link...

Crime & Justice

BL SPECIAL REPORT: Why Do Young People in San Benito County Join Gangs?

09/05/2024
Image for display with article titled BL SPECIAL REPORT: Why Do Young People in San Benito County Join Gangs?

This reporting is in partnership with the University of Southern California Annenberg Center for Health Journalism as part of a series for the 2024 California Health Equity Fellowship. The names of some of the individuals in this article were changed to protect their privacy.

From CalMatters...

Transportation Crime & Justice State of California

1 in 6 CHP Jobs Are Vacant — Despite Historic Raises and Newsom’s Hiring Campaign

08/28/2024
California Highway Patrol officers received historically high raises in 2022 and 2023, but it continues to face a high vacancy rate of 16%.

From CalMatters...

Crime & Justice State of California

Newsom’s Hands-on Approach to Crime in California Cities Gains Critics in Oakland

08/25/2024
Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken to using state resources to fight crime on a local level. Not everyone in the cities he’s taken an interest in is thrilled with the results.

From CalMatters...

Education Crime & Justice State of California

When Should Police Be Involved at School? A California Bill Would Let Teachers Make the Call

08/25/2024
In the final week of session, legislators are debating whether to give more leeway to public school teachers when to report students to law enforcement. Supporters say disabled and students of color are unfairly disciplined, but opponents say school safety is at risk.

From The Sacramento Bee...

Elections & Politics Crime & Justice State of California

Proposition 6 Explainer

08/21/2024
The Sacramento Bee explains Proposition 6, the initiative to ban involuntary servitude.

From The Sacramento Bee...

Elections & Politics Crime & Justice

Proposition 36 Explainer

08/16/2024
The Sacramento Bee explains Propisition 36, the anti-crime measure on the November Ballot.

From CalMatters...

Crime & Justice State of California

Gavin Newsom Signs New Retail Theft Laws as Voters Weigh Even Tougher Penalties

08/16/2024
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills that aim to make it easier to prosecute retail theft. He’s asking voters to reject a ballot measure that would impose even tougher penalties.

From CalMatters...

Business, Economy & Jobs Crime & Justice State of California

CA Democrats Push Retail Theft Bills

08/07/2024
Legislators are pushing ahead with a retail theft bill package in their continued opposition of Proposition 36 — a November ballot measure backed by law enforcement groups and Republicans (and some Democrats) that would roll back parts of 2014’s Prop. 47.

From Gilroy Dispatch...

Crime & Justice County of Santa Clara

DA Launches New Online Data Portal

07/25/2024

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office launched a public data dashboard last week to support what they said will promote “transparency, accountability, and community engagement” within the criminal justice system.

From CalMatters...

Crime & Justice State of California

CHP Justifies Its Officers’ Use of Force at Gaza Protests, Without Providing Evidence

07/25/2024
“This doesn’t build public trust. Where is the evidence?” said Jeff Wenninger, a former Los Angeles Police lieutenant who oversaw use of force investigations.

From Benito Link...

Crime & Justice County of San Benito

Sheriff’s Department Partially Closes Second Jail Building

07/22/2024
Image for display with article titled Sheriff’s Department Partially Closes Second Jail Building

San Benito County corrections commander says the move is in response to a staffing shortage.

From CalMatters...

Health Crime & Justice State of California

California Sent a Mentally Ill Man to a State Hospital. Then It Charged Him $760,000

07/17/2024
California State Hospitals can bill patients for the care they receive during confinement. The charges often run in the tens of thousands of dollars, putting vulnerable people in debt for years.

From CalMatters...

Elections & Politics Crime & Justice State of California

California Says ICE Detainees Have Labor Rights. They Earn $1 a Day Scrubbing Bathrooms

07/17/2024
California failed to ban private detention centers. Now, it’s focusing on their working conditions, for immigrants who toil for $1 a day.

From CalMatters...

Business, Economy & Jobs Crime & Justice State of California

If Californians Vote to Ban Slavery This Fall, Will Prisoners Get a Raise?

07/16/2024
California courts have long upheld below-minimum wage pay for prison inmates working a wide range of jobs. A 2024 ballot measure that would ban forced labor could alter those decisions.

From CalMatters...

Crime & Justice State of California

How California Laws May Help Shield It From Supreme Court Decisions

07/10/2024
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, California’s Democratic leaders moved fast to shore up reproductive rights: They persuaded voters to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution, approved a dozen bills strengthening abortion protections and passed a law in May to enable Arizona doctors to temporarily provide abortion services for their patients in California.

From CalMatters...

Crime & Justice State of California

The Supreme Court Took Powers Away From Federal Regulators. Do California Rules Offer a Backstop?

07/09/2024
In three rulings the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a body blow to the federal bureaucracy. From healthcare to climate to workers’ rights, California’s rules often go farther.

From CalMatters...

Public Safety Crime & Justice State of California

Gavin Newsom Says Never Mind on CA Crime Measure

07/03/2024
Assemblymember James Gallagher speaks during the floor session at the state Capitol in Sacramento on June 13, 2024. Photo by Cristian Gonzalez for CalMatters

From The Sacramento Bee...

Homelessness Crime & Justice

SCOTUS Rules Cities Can Ban Homeless Camps

06/28/2024
The Supreme Court 6-3 ruling in the City of Grants Pass v. Johnson case found that the fining and arresting of homeless people does not violate Eighth Amendment rights.

San Benito County Local News: Crime & Justice