31
Mar 2021Judges To Consider Defendant’s Ability to Pay When Setting Bail
A California Supreme Court Ruling Requires Judges to Weigh Whether Defendant Can Post Bail A California Supreme Court decision issued on March 25, 2021, requires judges to consider the defendant’s ability to pay when setting bail. A trial court must determine whether a defendant has the financial resources and whether less restrictive alternatives are available. Less restrictive alternatives that can be considered include “electronic monitoring,...
Read More
26
Feb 2021Bail Stands at $1M for Man Accused of Starting Holy Fire
Noting Public Safety Concerns, Orange County Judge Declines Bail Reduction The 2018 Holy Fire burned 23,000 acres according to The Mercury News. It quickly spread across Orange County and Riverside County eventually “destroying 18 structures including a dozen cabins.” Prosecutors believe that the devastating fire was started by Forrest Clark. If convicted Clark would face a life sentence. As reported by The Mercury News, Clark...
Read More
01
Feb 2021New Bail Reform Legislation Introduced
Despite Majority of Voters Rejecting Previous Attempts, California Lawmakers Move Forward With Another Bill Proposition 25, which would have ended California’s bail system, was defeated in November when a majority of voters decided that SB10 would not make good law. SB10 was initially passed but met with immediate opposition after numerous organizations questioned the neutrality of the risk-assessment system that would replace bail. Enough...
Read More
31
Dec 2020Orange County Required to Release Inmates Due to COVID-19
1,800 Inmates Ordered to Be Released by Local Judge According to Fox News, 1,800 Orange County inmates were ordered to be released by a Superior Court judge amid concerns over rising coronavirus cases. Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes initially refused the release, citing that some had been locked up for violent crimes including “murder and child molestation,” as reported by Fox. In speaking to...
Read More
30
Nov 2020Effort to End Cash Bail Rejected by California Voters
Prop 25 Fails on November Ballot, Repealing SB10 California voters were asked whether they would support a law that ended cash bail in favor of a pretrial risk assessment program and they responded. Proposition 25 was defeated in the November election. According to ABC 7, only 45% of the votes were in favor of keeping SB10. The majority of voters decided to repeal the...
Read More
31
Oct 2020What a ‘No’ Vote on Prop 25 Means
Human Rights Orgs and Peace Officers Agree, No on Prop 25 The election is only days away. While millions have already voted, there is still time to submit your ballot or cast it in person on November 3. Californians will decide a number of critical things this election, including whether to end cash bail by supporting Proposition 25. A ‘yes’ vote on 25 would uphold...
Read More
29
Sep 2020Voting in California
This Year Bail Is on the Ballot – Here Is Your Chance to Be Heard Along with the presidential election, the November 2020 ballot has a lot of propositions that could deeply impact Californians. Registered voters will have the opportunity to choose local leaders such as city council members and school board trustees, as well as be heard on a number of issues. In California,...
Read More
31
Aug 2020What’s on the Ballot in 2020 for Californians
A Look at the November 2020 Ballot Propositions The countdown to November is on and in addition to a heated national election, Californians will decide on a number of propositions. You can read about all of the Qualified Statewide Ballot Measures from the Secretary of State Proposition 14 – Bond measure to fund the state’s cell research institute. Gives $5.5 billion in general obligation bonds...
Read More
31
Jul 2020The Pandemic and Bail
What the COVID-19 Emergency Bail Schedule Taught Us In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, the California Judicial Council announced an emergency bail schedule that would reduce bail to zero dollars for some offenders. The zero dollar bail schedule was recently rescinded with individual counties allowed to adopt independent measures as necessary. During the $0 bail schedule many people were released pretrial and...
Read More
19
Jun 2020Judicial Council of California Votes to End Zero Dollar Bail
The Emergency Bail Schedule is Set to End June 20 In an effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus in jails and the surrounding community, the California Judicial Council and Chief Justice put into place a number of emergency measures. One of the most controversial measures included the implementation of an emergency statewide bail schedule which reduced bail to $0 for a number of offenses....
Read More