Santa Clara County Crime & Justice Digest

The Sunnyvale Police Officer Union is sounding the alarm about rising crime rates. Find out why.

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.

In an October 29 press conference, Santa Clara County officials announced a Justice-Involved Reentry Initiative to offer health services for Medi-Cal eligible individuals who are 90 days from their release from incarceration.

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.

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.

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.

Following the defeat of their lawsuit over images in a Black Lives Matter mural, a group of Palo Alto Police officers is taking their suit to the California Sixth District Court of Appeals.

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

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

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.

The Mercury News explains the Proposition 6 measure to end involuntary servitude on the November ballot.

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.

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.

Following a July 8 summary judgement against their suit claiming a city-commissioned Black Lives Matter mural constituted workplace harassment, six Palo Alto police officers entered a filing on August 20 seeking to overturn the ruling so they could pursue their complaint.

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

San Jose City Councilmember Arjun Batra joined in opposition of a planned Santa Clara County purchase of the South San Jose interim housing sites for use in a jail diversion program.

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.

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.

Despite support for Proposition 36 on the November ballot, meant to rollback elements of Proposition 47, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen voiced his support for the 2014 criminal justice reform measure.

Efforts to increase staffing to the budgeted positions continue to fall short.

A plan by Santa Clara County to acquire a City of San Jose-owned homeless tiny house site to be used for a jail diversion plan was put on hold following strong opposition from nearby residents.

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

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.

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

The anti-crime Proposition 36 on the November ballot is being backed by San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

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.

Over a hundred unregulated group homes in Santa Clara County are housing formerly incarcerated people on parole or those released from mental health or addiction programs, often in overcrowded or unsanitary conditions.

Arson is the suspected cause of four Santa Cruz Mountain fires over 11 days.

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

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.

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.