17
Jan 2019SB10 (California Bail Reform Law) Update: Veto Referendum Successful
SB10, California’s Money Bail Reform Law, would have effectively eliminated the commercial bail system from the criminal justice system. A united group of opponents to the law banded together to launch an effective effort to obtain enough signatures to stop the implementation of the bill in October 2019. According to the Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, the referendum was successful in obtaining enough valid signatures...
Read More
11
Jan 2019A Closer Look at Bail Reform: California’s SB10
Late last year California’s Governor Jerry Brown signed SB10 into law. Known as the California Money Bail Reform Act, last minute changes to the legislation raised the eyebrows of both bail reform opponents like the bail industry and human rights leaders. The bill would eliminate the cash bail system in favor a pretrial risk assessment tool that would use data to determine whether a defendant...
Read More
04
Jan 2019Why Bail Reform Doesn’t Solve the Problem
As we wait for verification of the over 500,000 signatures submitted by the opposition to SB-10, California’s Bail Reform Law, we must take a moment to look at why so many people oppose the elimination of bail and why the alternative doesn’t measure up. If enough signatures are verified, the bill, signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, would be put on hold until 2020...
Read More
28
Dec 20182019 Law Changes and Challenges for California
2019 will be a year of change for California. Several new laws (1,016 to be exact) were signed into law in 2018 by Governor Jerry Brown. In previous blogs, we have discussed at length one of the nation’s biggest attempts to overhaul the bail system. California’s SB 10 is set to go into effect October 2019. The bill would effectively eliminate the state’s cash bail...
Read More
20
Dec 2018Bipartisan Legislation Passed on Criminal Justice Reform
The Senate Passes Criminal Justice Reform Bill Across Party Lines Politics today are brutal. We are a nation polarized to its core. Finding common ground on anything seems unlikely between the two parties. That’s why yesterday’s announcement that the Senate was able to pass a criminal justice reform bill was somewhat shocking. The Senate voted to pass the bill 87 – 12 meaning that it...
Read More
14
Dec 2018The Truth Behind Banning Bail
Bail has become a hot topic issue. California is in a holding state as officials work to validate the 600,000 signatures submitted to put Senate Bill 10, California’s Bail Reform Law, on the 2020 ballot effectively stopping its enforcement in October 2019. The referendum was backed heavily by the bail bonds industry but also by human rights organizations concerned with last minute changes to the...
Read More
07
Dec 2018At What Cost?
What Will SB10 Cost Taxpayers In estimating the costs of SB10 to taxpayers, the California Assembly Appropriations Committee estimates that it would likely cost “in the low hundreds of millions of dollars annually.” The costs mainly stem from the need for courts to create, staff and train a pretrial services program. Other estimates put it at closer to an annual cost of $1 billion or...
Read More
29
Nov 2018Criminal Justice Reform Begins with Open Dialogue
Recently over 365,000 signatures were submitted in an effort to suspend the implementation of California’s Senate Bill 10. The law would effectively eliminate cash bail in favor of a pretrial detention system based on risk assessment algorithms. The bill, signed earlier this year, was to take effect October 2019, but a strong opposition backed with major financial support gathered enough signatures to trigger a referendum. ...
Read More
20
Nov 2018Opponents to SB10 Successful in Gathering Signatures
The effort to overturn SB10, California’s Bail Reform Law, cleared one hurdle this week by submitting more than the required number of signatures for a referendum. A veto referendum would take the measure to the voters on the 2020 ballot. Voters would then decide the fate of California’s bail system. Now that the signatures have been submitted, election officials must verify them. If enough signatures...
Read More
15
Nov 2018Uncertain Path for California Bail Reform
With just over a week to go, those opposed to SB10, California’s Bail Reform Law, are busy gathering signatures in the hope to place a stay on the enforcement of the new law. If successful, the law would go to voters on the 2020 ballot. Opponents must gather 365,880 signatures by November 26, 2018. The veto referendum would allow California voters to decide whether the...
Read More