Two California lawsuits regarding the current bail system are set for hearings next week. Bail agents will act on behalf of San Francisco to uphold the current bail system. California Insurance Department Commissioner Dave Jones heard from Equal Justice Under Law regarding the current bail system. He is tasked with introducing a policy to the legislature within the next 2 to 3 months but wants to hear from the public before deciding how to proceed. Topo Podilla, a Sacramento Bail Bondsman, has stated that the elimination of cash bail could be dangerous. Opponents of bail reform look to the broader issue of what could possibly replace a cash bail system, at what cost to the taxpayer and at what cost to the safety of society.
The plaintiffs’ in the San Francisco bail cases hit a snag recently when Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers dismissed a number of motions that would have “fast-tracked” the hearings. The lawsuits are brought on behalf of Riana Buffin and Crystal Patterson who had bail set at $30,000 and $150,000, respectively. They argue, through their attorneys, that the bail practices violate the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment. Judge Rogers was not persuaded that the plaintiffs had proved the issues brought by the motions. She was not persuaded that they had shown a reasonable solution to their proposed problem.