Santa Cruz County Local News: Crime & Justice

02/05/2024
Gov. Gavin Newsom is increasing state police presence in Oakland under a new law enforcement campaign to target rising violent crime and theft.

02/02/2024
As Jay D. Aronson and Dr. Roger A. Mitchell explore in their book “Death in Custody,” that lack of data is a national problem.

01/28/2024
In the first year of California’s Feather Alert system, authorities denied some requests to issue bulletins on missing people, causing concerns.

01/26/2024
Among growing concern over copper wire thefts, L.A. City Councilmembers Kevin de León and Traci Park proposed a task force anchored by the LAPD.

01/25/2024
The proposed bill would require new California cars to have a speed limiter.

01/23/2024
An El Dorado County Jail inmate died after not receiving vital HIV medication for weeks, a new lawsuit claims.

01/22/2024
Each year, California lawmakers pass temporary extensions to COVID-era rules that allow people to attend court via video conferencing services. One powerful state union has been a barrier to making the feature permanent.

01/22/2024
Locking up a California state prisoner for one year costs nearly twice as much as tuition at the state’s top private universities—due to inmate medical costs and pay boosts for prison guards and other workers.

01/18/2024
Last spring, a former professor at the University of Toronto filed a lawsuit over UCSC’s requirement for a DEI statement. The case was dismissed by a federal judge because the plaintiff never actually applied for a job.

01/16/2024
An auto burglary trend shows that thieves are targeting travelers.

01/12/2024
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.

01/12/2024
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.

01/11/2024
State funding that has helped fuel a second look at dozens of Santa Cruz County convictions over the past two years may be eliminated in the coming year’s budget.

01/11/2024
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.

01/09/2024
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.

01/09/2024
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.

01/05/2024
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.