Santa Cruz County Crime & Justice Digest

A report of a 12 month study which ended in February indicates almost half of those cited for drug usage were not residents of the city, leading to questions about city approaches to drug addiction.

Of all the races on your ballot, the least information is often available on local judges. Here are some ways to find out more about these candidates.

In his decision, a judge agreed that the alleged white nationalists were being selectively prosecuted instead of 'far-left extremist groups, such as Antifa.'

License plates are getting stolen from vehicles, Livermore officials say.

Pesticide reform activists and legal experts held a news conference in Watsonville outlining mounting evidence for a lawsuit they’re preparing to file against California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation for civil rights violations against farmworkers.

The Santa Cruz City Council-approved plan would allow the Santa Cruz Police Department to purchase as many as five Skydio X10 drones under a contract with Axon Inc., spending as much as $254,932 over five years.

Commercial beekeeper Andrew Strehlow estimates he’s had 1,000 hives stolen over the years. The latest theft, of 96 hives from a Fresno County orchard, was his last straw.

Beehives, tractors and more are getting stolen from farmers.

California’s law that requires background checks when purchasing ammunition is back in place.

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

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

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

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.

The proposed bill would require new California cars to have a speed limiter.

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

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.

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.

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.

An auto burglary trend shows that thieves are targeting travelers.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.