By Aldon Thomas Stiles California Black Media Over the last two weeks, it has been a mixed bag of wins and losses for bills concerned with the rights of people interacting with the criminal justice system. Senate Bill (SB) 262, a bail reform bill that would have established $0 bail for some offenders, was stopped ...

Assemblymember Chris Holden’s police reform legislation, AB 26, cleared its final hurdle in the legislature on the Assembly Floor. AB 26 establishes clear guidelines for police responsibility and accountability when witnessing excessive force by another member of law enforcement. Governor Newsom has until October 10th to sign the legislation. “The vote is a big step ...

By Aldon Thomas Stiles California Black Media As more Californians get vaccinated and new COVID-19 cases are on the decline, there’s an argument to be made that the state has rounded the corner from the worst stages of the global crisis. As of June 6, 53.1% of Californians had been vaccinated and there were 757 ...

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌ ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌ Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), the chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, and Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) added language with some teeth to Senate Bill (SB) 2, the “Kenneth Ross Jr. Police Decertification Act of 2021.” The amendments to the police reform bill, first ...

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic bringing racial inequities in California and throughout the U.S. into sharp relief, the California Legislature is considering a systematic approach to curbing racial inequity via SB 17, introduced in the California Senate by Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento). SB 17 builds on the commitment Gov. Gavin Newsom made in ...

Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) and Senate President pro Tempore Atkins (D-San Diego) introduced Senate Bill 2 to increase accountability for law enforcement officers that commit serious misconduct and illegally violate a person’s civil rights. “The time is now to pass meaningful and common-sense police reform,” said Senator Steven Bradford. “California is able to revoke the ...

By Quinci LeGardye California Black Media  In the wake of recent calls to shift responsibility for non-violent intervention away from police departments, lawmakers and community advocates around California are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign AB 2054, also known as the CRISES Act.  CRISES is an acronym for Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency ...

By Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed the state’s historic reparations bill into law. Assembly Bill (AB) 3121 moves descendants of enslaved Americans one step closer to getting restitution for centuries of free labor and legal discrimination that followed it, supporters say. But Black Californians who may qualify for ...

By Quinci LeGardye California Black Media     Inmate firefighting crews, made up of more than 2,000 inmate firefighters per year, have helped extinguish many of the biggest wildfires in California.     However, once they’re released, they cannot serve in that profession under current law because of their criminal records.     Now, AB 2147, a law that would lift that ...

by Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media Last week, reacting to the violent death of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man in Minnesota, California Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) introduced a new bill. The legislation, AB 1196, bans law enforcement officers in the state from using carotid artery restraints to subdue and detain suspects. ...