Santa Clara County Crime & Justice Digest

More than 80 women, elderly donors and real estate professionals have joined forces to expose an attorney referral scheme allegedly operating through the Los Altos-based nonprofit WomenSV.

The nonprofit group Mothers Against Murder is offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest of the man who robbed at gunpoint a Taco Bell in south Palo Alto.

Three men have been incarcerated for a combined 90 years under California's felony-murder rule, which is based on an archaic legal doctrine that says engaging in certain illegal behaviors requires full responsibility if a death occurs.

Police are investigating an employee for allegedly embezzling thousands of dollars from Mike's Diner Bar, a Midtown institution that was recently saved from eviction.

An analysis by San José Spotlight found that of the 1,122 claims filed by residents over the last three years, the city settled 208. Of that 208, 123 were car accidents—56 of which involved San Jose police officers.

An auto burglary trend shows that thieves are targeting travelers.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal in a case that challenges a ruling that enforcement of local laws against camping on public property violates the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments.

Michel Moore, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, announced he will resign. The departure of Moore, who has been in the job since 2018, will spur the appointment of an interim chief and a nationwide search for his replacement, according to Mayor Karen Bass.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case related to whether cities and towns can ban camping on public property. The high court could overturn Martin v. Boise, a 2018 federal court decision that keeps western cities and counties from blocking public camping when sufficient shelter space is unavailable.

To keep more police on patrols, law enforcement groups want officers to spend less time in court. Legislation would allow non-sworn community service officers to testify in preliminary hearings.

Palo Alto police arrested a Nordstrom employee who allegedly embezzled more than $31,000 from the clothing company.

Cal State San Bernardino’s Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism found that hate crimes rose 12.9% between 2022 and 2023. The spike follows a particularly stark increase in crimes against Jewish people.

Sacramento attorney Mark Merin has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family of a man who died in May after being held at the county jail. Other inmates have died in recent years, and the jail is under a federal consent decree to improve its health care.

California correctional officers train like ‘they are going to war’ to work in state prisons. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to transform San Quentin could require a kinder approach.

Sean Loloee, a first-term Sacramento councilmember, has resigned from office—a move that came weeks after he was federally indicted on charges related to his business Viva Supermarkets.

Kern County agrees to better protect free speech in a deal with the state Justice Department—inspired by the county’s’ 2020 squashing of COVID contracts to organizations that advocated defunding police.

A Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office employee is suing the county, claiming former Sheriff Laurie Smith created a hostile work environment for her and others who participated in a corruption investigation targeting Smith.

A new law, sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta, will create a fund designed to fully compensate victims of false advertising or unfair competition.

Under new state laws, five cities will test cameras to catch speeding drivers and cruising bans will be lifted statewide. The first is supposed to improve road safety, but critics of the second say it will endanger the public.

An employee of former Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith has filed a whistleblower lawsuit, accusing Smith of harassing and intimidating her as she served as a key witness in a probe of gun-permit corruption.

Under two new laws, employers in California can’t ask workers about their use of cannabis outside the workplace and can’t use hair or urine tests. Employees in construction are excluded, as are applicants for federal jobs with background checks.

The Santa Clara County Superior Court said it launched two new policies this year on reducing unnecessary jail bookings and to improve court efficiency.

The 33-year old Mexican-born man—who from toddler age has been a permanent legal resident of California—has reported abuse, unsanitary conditions and threats of force-feeding before his release from immigration detention in April.

Some firefighters and police officers who worked long enough in California to earn pensions are heading to more conservative destinations like Idaho in retirement. Some of these people even run for political office in these places.

Google has agreed to pay $700 million and will make changes to its app store it has resisted for years in order to resolve a lawsuit over whether its app store is an illegal monopoly.

Mountain View mail carriers are facing more than just the usual perils of bad weather, heavy loads and aggressive dogs. They now also have to contend with armed robbers stealing their postal keys.

The Exclusive Poultry Inc. agreed to pay $3.8 million in wages, damages and penalties in part for hiring children for dangerous work. The case is one of hundreds federal labor officials investigated last year.

A new select committee in the California Assembly dedicated to retail theft will hold its first hearing on Dec. 19. This allows the committee to get to work before the next legislative session on an issue that’s drawn much press for California in recent years.

Hunter Biden, a Malibu resident, is facing nine tax-related charges between the years of 2016 and 2019. It is the second criminal indictment for the son of President Biden, aside from a pending firearms case.

A dog trainer who allegedly attempted to substitute a Palo Alto resident's German shepherd with another dog after failing to return the pet to its owner will face charges, the Palo Alto Police Department has confirmed.

California’s “failure to protect” law allows child welfare agencies to take kids from households scarred by domestic violence. Advocates say the separation can worsen a family’s trauma.

Hackers stole data this week from Blue Shield of California. Historically, this type of data has sometimes wound up for sale on what’s known as the dark web, the part of the internet not typically included in search engine results.