CalWatchdog Morning Read – September 22

• Could felons soon vote from jail?
• Bad news for marijuana advocates
• More bad news for marijuana advocates
• Vehicle registration fees in SoCal may soon rise to fund smog reduction programs
• “Prop. 13: It’s better if you’re wealthier”

Good morning. So close to Friday!

All eyes are on Jerry Brown as he continues to decide the fate of many, many bills. In fact, heightening the stakes in the criminal justice debate roiling the country at large, Brown could soon greenlight a law that would allow some state felons to vote from jail.

California has wound up in the middle of the pack on state laws around criminals and voting rights.

CalWatchdog has more.

In other news:

• “Two women have been arrested on charges of holding four brothers captive at an illegal marijuana farm in Northern California and forcing them to work there for six months, police said Wednesday.” The San Jose Mercury News/AP have more.

• “Tehama County sheriff’s detectives investigated 10 murders in 2014 and 2015 — twice as many as the three previous years combined. ‘Our last four homicides were all in what you would call Prop. 215 (marijuana grows),’ said Sheriff Dave Hencratt, referring to large grows under the state’s medical marijuana law.” The Redding Record Searchlight has more.

• “Air quality regulators are considering seeking an increase in vehicle registration fees for millions of Southern California drivers to help pay for smog reduction programs,” reports the Los Angeles Times.

• Almost 40 years after California voters passed Proposition 13 to rein in property tax increases, available data shows that wealthy Californians have benefited the most, according to a new report from the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. 

Legislature:

• Gone ’til December. 

Gov. Brown:

• No public events announced.

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