Yolo County Local News: Crime & Justice


All Local Crime & Justice News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here

How the California mental health crisis emerged out of the state’s history of deinstitutionalization and laws designed to protect the mentally ill, as well as the communities around them.

Image caption: The California Supreme Court has defined the state’s legal and political agenda for more than 170 years.
How the California Supreme Court Blazes Legal Trails

The California Supreme Court has kept the state at the forefront of legal issues surrounding abortion, the death penalty and same-sex marriage, starting in its earliest days in the Gold Rush era.

Image caption: The cycle of crime and homelessness is escalating, but it doesn't have to be that way.
Homelessness and Crime in California: Even More Complex Than You Think

The links between homelessness and crime are complex, and the idea that unhoused individuals present a danger to their community seems to be exaggerated.

Image caption: Access to abortion in California is limited in many areas, though state laws protect a woman’s right to choose.
Abortion Rights in California, Explained

California has historically been ahead of the rest of the country in expanding the legal right to abortion services. Here’s what state laws say today, and how we got here.

Image caption: California cities switch to more inclusive, district-based elections system.
Voting Rights...the Final Frontier

Pushed by activists, cities move from at-large elections to district races.

California Local Pin Marker From Davis Enterprise...

04/25/2025
An update on the Davis Police Department investigation of the April 12 Picnic Day shooting which injured three people.

The Dirt logo From The Dirt...

04/22/2025
Image for display with article titled Suspect Description Released in Picnic Day Shooting

The Davis Police Department says they’ve determined there was more than one shooter Saturday at Community Park. They’ve released information about one of the suspects. There is a crime stopper reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.

California Local Pin Marker From Daily Democrat...

04/22/2025
The April 19 gun buyback held by Yolo County law enforcement drew a steady stream of residents turning in weapons in exchange for gift cards.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/17/2025
Wickey Two Hands was supposed to be the first person tried for camping in Fresno. Instead, after the city and county poured resources into his case, it was dismissed at the last minute.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/17/2025
A California Republican state senator finds his crime bills getting a warmer welcome this year. Democrats say they’re just responding to their voters.

California Local Pin Marker From Davis Enterprise...

04/16/2025
In an April 17 announcement, the Davis police released a description of a suspect in the Picnic Day shooting and confirmed there was more than one person involved.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/15/2025
Almost everyone gets nervous during a traffic stop, but people with disabilities also worry about whether an officer understands their condition or could misinterpret their symptoms.

California Local Pin Marker From Daily Democrat...

04/10/2025
The Davis Police Department and Yolo County Sheriff's office will be hosting a gun buyback event in Davis on April 19.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/10/2025
After controversial sweeps in Kern County and a CalMatters investigation, the federal government will train agents on when they can stop and arrest people.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/08/2025
Contrary to its public narrative, the agency cast a wide net in its California immigration raid, setting the stage for a legal battle over how the government carries out mass deportations.

The Dirt logo From The Dirt...

04/02/2025
Image for display with article titled New Deputy Police Chief Named in Davis

The City of Davis is pleased to announce the appointment of Matt Petersen to the position of Deputy Police Chief.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/30/2025
Californians accused of crimes have the right to an appointed defense attorney if they can’t afford to hire their own. In that way they are just like criminal defendants in every other state — protected, at least in theory, by the Sixth Amendment’s right to counsel.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/17/2025
Ruby Marichalar couldn’t get an in-person meeting after California’s crime victim compensation fund denied her claim. She wasn’t the only one.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/06/2025
Los Angeles Assemblymember Rick Zbur says he wants to narrow the standards for justifiable homicide. Critics say he wants to make self-defense illegal.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/05/2025
The Fremont city council has revised a new city camping ordinance, removing what had become a controversial clause — first reported on by CalMatters — that could have punished those  “aiding and abetting” encampments.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/04/2025
This appears to be the first such injunction since the U.S. Supreme Court let cities crack down on homeless encampments in California and beyond.

California Local Pin Marker From Davis Vanguard...

02/28/2025
Read on to learn more about the $24.2 million awarded to the family of Davis resident Jennifer Comey who was killed by a falling tree branch in 2021 at Slide Hill Park.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/25/2025
California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36, a new law that stiffened penalties for certain drug and theft charges, and pledged to provide “mass treatment” for those facing drug charges. But since the law took effect, some counties have been scrambling to implement the measure without new funding or, according to people involved in enforcing the law, sufficient resources.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

02/20/2025
Read on to learn more about the package of 15 bills proposed by the California Legislative Black Caucus to correct the discrimination and harm to descendants of the enslaved in California.

West Sacramento News Ledger logo From West Sacramento News Ledger...

02/18/2025
Image for display with article titled Gayton Appointed Chief Probation Officer

Yolo County Interim Administrator Drik Brazil has announced the appointment of Rachelle Gayton as chief probation officer.