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San Benito County Crime & Justice Digest



How Well Is CA Racial Justice Law Working?

11/21/2024

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Racial Justice Act into law in September 2020, following the police murder of George Floyd. For the first time, defendants can put bias from any brush with the criminal legal system — from arrest to sentencing — on the stand.

California Empowered Immigrants to Speak Up at Work. Trump Could End Their Protections

11/10/2024

California wants to protect witnesses in workplace investigations from deportation, but the Biden administration program for undocumented employees is at risk with Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Will CA Ballot Proposition Mean More Deportations?

10/22/2024

With proponents of Proposition 36 raising nearly $15 million so far — about three times as much as its opponents — and 71% of likely voters in support, it appears the statewide ballot measure will pass in November.
And that’s exactly what immigrant rights advocates are worried about.

No One Is Fighting a Proposition to Ban Forced Labor in California Prisons. Why It Could Still Fail

10/16/2024

Supporters of a proposition to ban forced labor in California prisons believe they have a strong message centered on rehabilitation. But as Election Day nears, polls show it’s a toss-up or trailing.

California Collects Millions in Stolen Wages, but Can’t Find Many Workers to Pay Them

10/02/2024

The state Labor Commissioner sometimes struggles to get back pay to workers when it reaches wage theft settlements. It tries social media, TV and hotlines. But money owed to employees is still sitting in state accounts.

Election Guide: Proposition 36 Anti-Crime Measure

09/25/2024

The Mercury News guide to the anti-crime and ant-drug dealing measure Proposition 36 on the November ballot.

UC Approves New Less-Lethal Arms for Its Police Force Amid Protest

09/19/2024

The UC Regents approved campus requests for more tools for UC police months after campus protesters clashed with law enforcement.

6 Myths About California Crime as Voters Weigh Ballot Measure on Drugs, Retail Theft

09/18/2024

Worries about retail theft and fentanyl deaths shaped a November ballot measure that would toughen some criminal penalties. Here are the facts about California crime trends.

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.

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.

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%.

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.

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.

Proposition 6 Explainer

08/21/2024

The Sacramento Bee explains Proposition 6, the initiative to ban involuntary servitude.

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.

Proposition 36 Explainer

08/16/2024

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Supreme Court Gives Cities in California and Beyond More Power to Crack Down on Homeless Camps

06/28/2024

The ruling by the conservative court majority means cities no longer are prohibited from punishing homeless people for camping if they have nowhere else to go.

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.

A Look at Police dispatches to Schools

06/05/2024

EdSource reports that police are dispatched thousands of times per school day across California.

Apology for Slavery, Funding Frameworks for Reparations Advance

05/24/2024

California lawmakers voted to offer an official apology for the state’s role in supporting slavery and moved several reparations bills but let others die.

Should California Doctors Report Domestic Abuse to Police? Here’s How Physician Lawmakers Voted

05/16/2024

Pending legislation would lift requirements for California’s doctors to report all domestic abuse cases to police. The Assembly’s three physicians had different opinions.

Metal Detectors, Fear, Frustration. College Commencements Altered Amid Gaza War Protests

05/04/2024

At many universities across the country, graduation for the Class of 2024 will feel more like making it through airport security than a procession through a free-flowing campus green or a cheering stadium crowd.

After Previously Being Cleared, Three Alameda Police Officers Now Face Manslaughter Charges

04/19/2024

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has charged three East Bay police officers with involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 death of 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez.

Senate Impeachment Trial Begins for Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas

04/17/2024

Alejandro N. Mayorkas, a Cuban immigrant who grew up in California, is the first U.S. Cabinet official impeached in nearly 150 years.

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.
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