CalWatchdog Morning Read – May 24

 

• Bay Area court stops suspending driver licenses over unpaid fines
• SF to look at its sanctuary city policies
• Bernie and Hillary come to SoCal
• State Senate votes to ban private communications with Coastal Commission

Under pressure from civil liberties groups, Contra Costa County Superior Court announced last week a moratorium on the practice of suspending driver licenses over unpaid fines.

Civil liberties groups have urged courts and the California Judicial Council — the policy-making board of the California court system — to take action for months now, arguing that suspending licenses for unpaid fines disproportionately affects lower-income drivers.

CalWatchdog has more. 

In other news:

• According to the AP/SF Gate, San Francisco officials plan to look at the city’s “sanctuary city” protections for undocumented immigrants, a policy that led to national criticism last year following the death of Kate Steinle, who was killed allegedly by a Mexican man living in the country illegally. 
• Events on Tuesday by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, two Democratic candidates for president, are putting Riverside and San Bernardino on the political map, writes the San Bernardino County Sun.
• Meanwhile, Sanders, who is a longshot in the race, is scrambling for votes in the Golden State, writes CalWatchdog. And the OC Weekly compares a Sanders rally to a “very tame Woodstock.” 
• The state Senate on Monday approved legislation “that would prohibit developers, environmentalists and others from having private, off-the-record communications with members of the California Coastal Commission that could influence decision-making,” writes the Los Angeles Times.

Assembly:

• Full slate of hearings. 

Senate:

• Joint hearing on marijuana legalization. 

Gov. Brown:

• No public events scheduled.

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