SB403
Would prohibit discrimination based on an individual’s caste, a social group that an individual is born into that has privileges and restrictions, depending on a person’s caste. Passed by the State Legislature; vetoed by the Governor.
Topic: Racial Justice
SB50
Would limit traffic stops — for minor violations like car registration issues or broken tail lights — that are often the starting point for violent and fatal police interactions. Passed by the Senate; held in the Assembly.
AB1310
Would allow resentencing for individuals who have been subject to firearm sentence enhancements, which overly target people of color. Passed by the Assembly; held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB1034
Would prohibit the use of face surveillance on body cameras worn by law enforcement officers for three years. Passed by Assembly; held in the Senate.
AB48
SB81
SB731
SB73
SB483
SB2
AB990
AB616
AB481
AB333
AB292
AB26
An act to amend Section 7286 of the Government Code, relating to peace officers.
AB256
Expands the Racial Justice Act to allow individuals convicted before January 1, 2021, to petition the court on instances of racial bias in their cases
AB2261
An act to add Title 1.81.7 (commencing with Section 1798.300) to Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code, relating to privacy.
SB731
An act to amend Section 52.1 of the Civil Code, to amend Section 1029 of the Government Code, and to amend Sections 832.7, 13503, 13506, 13510, 13510.1, and 13512 of, to amend the heading of Article 2 (commencing with Section 13510) of Chapter 1 of Title 4 of Part 4 of, and to add Sections … Continued
SB315
An act to add and repeal Section 1385.2 of the Penal Code, relating to criminal procedure.
ACA5
A resolution to propose to the people of the State of California an amendment to the Constitution of the State, by repealing Section 31 of Article I thereof, relating to government preferences.
AB3070
An act to add, repeal, and add Section 231.7 of the Code of Civil Procedure, relating to juries.
AB2542
An act to amend Sections 1473 and 1473.7 of, and to add Section 745 to, the Penal Code, relating to criminal procedure.
AB2342
An act to add Article 1.4 (commencing with Section 3007.5) to Chapter 8 of Title 1 of Part 3 of the Penal Code, relating to parole.
AB2147
An act to add Section 1203.4b to the Penal Code, relating to convictions.
ACA6
Lead Authors: McCarty, Bonta, Carrillo, Gipson, Lorena Gonzalez, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Mullin, Mark Stone, Weber Summary: Over 50,000 Californians still on parole for past crimes are not allowed to vote. Not only is this practice wrong — a person who has served their time should have the same rights as anyone else — but it disproportionately … Continued
AB1600
Lead Author: Kalra Summary: A defendant facing trial should have every opportunity to know if an officer involved in their case has any instances of documented police misconduct. AB1600 helps to expedite this process by shortening the notice requirement from 16 days to 10 days after the defendant has filed a motion to obtain these … Continued
AB1185
Lead Author: McCarty Summary: A 1994 court ruling established the right of counties to oversee Sheriff Departments. Across California, however, many overzealous Sheriffs continue to resist this essential check on their power — including a Sacramento Sheriff who blocked an Inspector General from coming to work after a reckless shooting performed by his office. AB1185 … Continued
AB2293
Author: Reyes Securing employment is a crucial step in keeping people from going back to prison. However, about 30 percent of all jobs require professional licenses, which are usually granted by state boards. AB 2293 was part of a bill package that would have prohibited these boards from using arrest or conviction records as … Continued
SB1437
Authors: Skinner, Anderson Co-authors: Gipson, Bonta, Burke, Medina, Wiener Current California law states that someone can be held criminally liable for murder if it occurs during a felony they committed, even if they were not present for the actual death. This results in hundreds of people being jailed for murders they didn’t commit. SB … Continued
SB1393
Authors: Mitchell, Lara Co-authors: Kalra, Beall, Bradford, Carrillo, Jones-Sawyer, Quirk, Skinner, Weber California’s severe sentence enhancements for prior convictions keeps inmates imprisoned for much longer than they should have to serve time. SB 1393 would restore the court’s discretion to slash the five-year sentence enhancements for prior serious felony convictions.
AB1793
Author: Bonta Co-authors: Skinner, Wiener, Fletcher, Quirk Although the passage of Proposition 64 legalized recreational cannabis use and allowed for the “resentencing and destruction of records for prior convictions,” it did not specify a process for the retroactive erasure of non-violent cannabis convictions. AB 1793 mandates the California Department of Justice to search its … Continued
AB931
Author: Weber, McCarty Co-authors: Bradford, Mitchell, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Mark Stone Under current law, law enforcement may use deadly force anytime they perceive a serious threat, whether there were other non-lethal alternatives to addressing the situation or not. AB 931 would prohibit law enforcement officers from using deadly force if there are reasonable alternatives available … Continued
SB1421
Author: Skinner Co-authors: Lara, Bradford, Glazer, Hill, Jones-Sawyer, McCarty, Mitchell, Moorlach, M. Stone, Weber, Wieckowski Police departments across the state have traditionally acted with little accountability and transparency, especially in cases of sexual assault, planting evidence and lying, and racist uses of lethal force. SB 1421 provides the public access to records regarding police … Continued
SB1392
Authors: Mitchell, Lara Co-authors: Kalra, Beall, Bradford, Skinner, Carrillo, Jones-Sawyer, Quirk, Weber California has some of the most severe sentence enhancements for prior convictions in the entire country. SB 1392 would repeal California’s one-year sentencing enhancement for each prior prison or felony jail term.
AB748
Author: Ting Co-authors: Carrillo, Jones-Sawyer AB 748 would mandate that, if requested, law enforcement agencies publicly provide audio and visual recordings of incidents in which lethal force was used. With so many jurisdictions and departments all over California, transparency and accountability would increase dramatically if body camera footage were made more available to the … Continued
SB180
authors: Mitchell, Lara co-authors: Bradford, Skinner, Wieckowski, Wiener One of the many legacies of the War on Drugs was that a person convicted of drug possession (or a similar offense) is sentenced to an additional three years for each prior conviction, leading to exorbitantly long jail sentences. The prosecution of these cases disproportionately impacts … Continued
AB90
author: Weber co-author: Mendoza CalGang is a database that holds information on over 150,000 individuals — mostly Latinos and blacks — who may or may not be connected to a gang in California. This system had many flaws, including not requiring law enforcement to notify those who had been added to the database. Transparency … Continued
AB42
authors: Bonta, Bloom, Chiu, Jones-Sawyer, Quirk, M. Stone co-authors: Allen, Hertzberg, Mitchell, Wiener, Eggman, Friedman, Gloria California’s mandatory bail system is broken. By setting exorbitantly high dollar amounts which, if paid, allow someone accused of a crime to temporarily return to their life, the current bail system unfairly creates two standards of justice — … Continued
SB 1322
(Mitchell) Public Safety: 4-3-0 (Mitchell) Floor: 42-29-9 co-authors: C. Garcia, Lackey, Wieckowski Victims of sex trafficking are often treated as criminals by law enforcement. SB1322 helps to protect them by decriminalizing prostitution for minors. Under SB1322, law enforcement officials are permitted to take the children into temporary custody, but only if necessary for … Continued
SB 1129
(Monning) Floor: 24-14-1 According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, there were over 1,000 reported cases of sex trafficking in California last year. Prior to the passing of SB 1129, prostituted minors were charged with minimum sentences despite the fact that many of them were victims of sex trafficking. SB 1129 showcases California’s recent focus … Continued
SB 1129
(Monning) Floor: 41-29-10 According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, there were over 1,000 reported cases of sex trafficking in California last year. Prior to the passing of SB 1129, prostituted minors were charged with minimum sentences despite the fact that many of them were victims of sex trafficking. SB 1129 showcases California’s recent focus … Continued
SB 966
(Mitchell) Floor: 22-14-4 (Mitchell) Public Safety: 3-2-2 co-authors: Leno, Wieckowski When drug offenders are convicted of an offense, they currently are up against laws that require an additional three year sentence for every prior drug conviction. This law was created to lessen drug use and sales, despite no evidence that it would actually … Continued
SB 966
(Mitchell) Floor: 18-16-6 co-authors: Leno, Wieckowski When drug offenders are convicted of an offense, they currently are up against laws that require an additional three year sentence for every prior drug conviction. This law was created to lessen drug use and sales, despite no evidence that it would actually accomplish that goal. Instead, … Continued
SB 759
Appropriations: 12-6-2 Floor: 41-31-8 authors: Anderson, Hancock co-authors: Jones-Sawyer, Leno, Liu, Mitchell, Quirk California has one of the harshest solitary confinement laws in the country, leading prisoners in Security Housing Units (SHUs) to be confined for an average of six years in a 2-by-10 foot cell. SB759 allows prisoners in SHUs to earn credits … Continued
SB 527
(Liu) Floor: 24-10-6 co-author: Thurmond In 2015, more than 1 in 5 elementary school students were considered truant (three or more unexcused absences throughout the year) and about 8% of elementary students considered chronically absent. When they miss school, students fall drastically behind in their education. SB527 addresses this crisis by providing grants … Continued
AB 2792
(Bonta) Floor: 46-29-5 co-authors: Alejo, Leno, Lopez Almost 250,000 immigrants were deported last year, tearing apart families across the nation. The TRUTH Act (AB2792) helps keep families together by giving immigrants in jail clear rights to protect them from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and possible deportation. While in custody, they are … Continued
AB 2792
(Bonta) Floor: 44-29-7 co-authors: Alejo, Leno, Lopez Almost 250,000 immigrants were deported last year, tearing apart families across the nation. The TRUTH Act (AB2792) helps keep families together by giving immigrants in jail clear rights to protect them from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and possible deportation. While in custody, they are … Continued
AB 2667
(Thurmond) Floor: 38-36-6 co-authors: Bonta, M. Stone, Weber Arbitration is the practice of resolving legal disputes outside the courts, often by placing judgments in the hands of employment attorneys or retired judges. Currently, businesses can require consumers to sign agreements wherein, when consumers purchase products like cell phones, vehicles or bank accounts, they … Continued
AB 2466
(Weber) Floor: 23-13-3 co-authors: Mitchell, Gonzalez Allowing low-level, nonviolent felons to vote reduces the number of people that return to jail, because it provides these people with a meaningful role in society as they begin the reintegration process. Under the California Constitution, those who are currently in prison or on parole for a … Continued
AB 2466
(Weber) Floor: 41-37-2 co-authors: Mitchell, Gonzalez Allowing low-level, nonviolent felons to vote reduces the number of people that return to jail, because it provides these people with a meaningful role in society as they begin the reintegration process. Under the California Constitution, those who are currently in prison or on parole for a … Continued
AB 2298
(Weber) Floor: 42-29-9 co-authors: Leno, Mitchell No proof was necessary to include people in CalGang — a database that holds information on individuals who may or may not be connected to a gang in California. Over 150,000 people — mostly Latinos and blacks — are currently listed in CalGang. Many of them are … Continued
AB 2298
(Weber) Floor: 42-34-4 co-authors: Leno, Mitchell No proof was necessary to include people in CalGang — a database that holds information on individuals who may or may not be connected to a gang in California. Over 150,000 people — mostly Latinos and blacks — are currently listed in CalGang. Many of them are … Continued
AB 1676
Labor & Employment: 4-2-1 Floor: 47-29-4 authors: Campos, Jackson, Gonzalez co-authors: Bonilla, Chiu, E. Garcia, C. Garcia, Liu According to the 2014 U.S. Census, women average 79 cents of income for every dollar earned by men. Additionally, in 2015, black households had 94% less wealth than white families, while Latinos had 92% less. The … Continued