Santa Clara County Crime & Justice Digest

Survivors who were sexually assaulted while imprisoned got an audience at the state Capitol, sharing their stories while testifying at a California Legislative Women’s Caucus briefing about abuse by staff at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla.

The city is facing multiple lawsuits alleging negligence and dangerous conditions on public property, with plaintiffs seeking compensation for personal injuries.

The 1974 murder of a young woman in Stanford's Memorial Church shocked the community and became a decades-long cold case. Veteran journalist Scott Herhold followed the story and now explores the case in a new book.

Despite staffing challenges, Palo Alto agreed on Sept. 11 to expand and extend the Police Department’s recently launched PERT program, which partners police officers with behavioral clinicians on calls involving mental health crises.

Councilmember Anthony Becker appeared in court on Sept. 13, where his lawyer, Chris Montoya, asked the judge to postpone setting a date for the trial. Montoya said that his office received “another discovery dump” from the District Attorney’s office.

After numerous trespassers assaulted students and staff at an East San Jose high school, outraged teachers and parents are demanding immediate security changes. Two separate, life-threatening incidents have rocked James Lick High School in the East Side Union High School District.

A bipartisan bill would create a state ombudsperson to intervene when public records requests are denied. But an advocacy group is concerned that it will encourage state agencies to go to court.

Santa Clara is being sued by Brian Doyle, its former city attorney, who claims officials fired him unlawfully as part of a hushed agreement with San Francisco 49ers owners.

San Jose’s assistant independent police watchdog quit months after the top police auditor stepped down, according to a letter obtained by San José Spotlight. Eva Roa, the city’s assistant independent police auditor since 2020, sent a scathing letter to city officials sharing her frustrations with city management.

Attila Colar went to prison for lying to the government. After California gave him another contract as a provider in a rehabilitation program, a federal jury convicted him of fraud for using the personal information of Bay Area parolees and others to collect government COVID funds.

In rapid-fire votes in suspense file hearings, lawmakers determined the fate of hundreds of bills on crime, transgender students and more.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has closed two state prisons and he has plans to shut two more by 2025. A new contract for correctional officers offers new perks to the guards who stay.

Assemblymember Evan Low first heard of the Aug. 18 officer-involved shooting on the news. Then he received a phone call from his older brother, Ryan Low, who’s been with the San Jose Police Department for eight years.

San Francisco isn’t going to take last week’s robotaxi decision by the California Public Utilities Commission lying down. Joined by the city's transit authority board, fire department and board of supervisors, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed motions on Wednesday to halt the unrestricted expansion of autonomous vehicles for commercial use.

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 on a plan for extensive outreach to raise awareness about sexual assault forensic exams, which are now available outside of San Jose.

As the California Legislature reconvenes for the final five weeks of its session, the leader of the Assembly Public Safety Committee is under the spotlight. But Reggie Jones-Sawyer isn’t backing down.

Owners of some older iPhone models are expected to receive about $65 each after a judge cleared the way for payments in a class-action lawsuit accusing Apple of secretly throttling phone performance.

Locally elected sheriffs manage California jails and are responsible for the safety of the inmates they hold. Record deaths in San Diego’s jail are shaping a plan for new statewide oversight.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to make prisons a friendlier place for inmate families. An updated strip-search policy has some worried that families will face intrusive encounters during their visits.

Two recent reports on sexual harassment complaints filed against Cal State employees conclude inconsistent data collection makes it difficult to determine a reliable number.

The Biden administration’s app rule makes it harder for migrants to assert a right to asylum, advocates say. Lawsuits are sparking debate about immigration control, safety.

A lawsuit seeking class-action status on behalf of three owners of Tesla vehicles in California alleges the company grossly overvalued how far the cars could travel on a single battery charge.

Advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit against the Santa Clara County Superior Court over a policy they say is unfairly penalizing lower-income individuals.

A lawsuit filed by the family of a VTA rail yard shooting victim is moving forward, after a judge ruled against the transit agency’s request to dismiss the lawsuit from the family of Lars Kepler “Kep” Lane.

Thousands of Californians died from opioid overdoses in 2021. In response, many communities are making it easier to obtain life-saving overdose reversal drugs while some families are calling for tougher criminal penalties for fentanyl dealers.

California’s experimental new program targets methamphetamine addiction by rewarding patients with gift cards for negative drug tests.

San Jose’s gun liability insurance requirement—upheld by a federal court judge last week—will make the city safer from the firearm-related violence, proponents say. But nearly eight months after the ordinance went into effect, no residents have been cited.

Thirteen Republican state attorneys general have sent a cautionary letter to the CEOs of the 100 largest U.S. companies, highlighting the potential legal ramifications of using race as a factor in employment practices.

San Francisco has become the prime example of what downtowns shouldn’t look like: vacant, crime-ridden and in various stages of decay. But in truth, it’s just one of many cities across the U.S. whose downtowns are reckoning with a post-pandemic wake-up call.

After several high-profile sexual harassment cases, Cal State needs more training, staff and outreach to students and employees, an outside firm concludes.

California lawmakers tried nine times to stiffen penalties for trafficking of a minor. The latest effort appeared to die — until a social media campaign forced Democrats to reconsider.

Gilbert Wong, a board member of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District and former Cupertino councilmember, is suing the district and his colleagues after they censured him for allegedly making racist remarks to an African American college president.