San Joaquin County Local News: Crime & Justice

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%.

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.

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.

08/23/2024
Per state law, the Manteca Police Department is holding a public event to display its military equipment on September 3 from 6:00PM to 7:00PM.

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

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

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.

08/15/2024
The City of Manteca is considering stiffening penalties for participating in illegal sideshows and street races, including impounding vehicles.

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.

08/02/2024
In a meeting on August 1, San Joaquin County Supervisors discussed the consequences of the 2014 Proposition 47, which reclassified several crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, and voted to support its repeal and replacement with Proposition 36 on the November ballot.

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.

07/24/2024
The annual Sacramento Police Department military equipment policy and usage report is before the city council for review, citing 324 incidents involving use of military equipment between May 2023 and April 2024.

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.

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.

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.

07/12/2024
In their July 2 meeting, the Tracy City Council approved funding of legal representation for three council members named in a lawsuit disputing the legality of a retroactive pay raise for City Attorney Bijal Patel.

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.

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.

07/05/2024
Stockton Police reported a local woman was injured by a falling bullet fire on July 4.

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