Law Enforcement

Suit filed over shooting of mentally ill man by L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies are accused of shooting a mentally ill teenager in the street in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court just two weeks after the county settled a 2009 shooting case for $8.85 million. The lawsuit

State, prison guard union on collision course again

Chris Reed December 23, 2015

The state is heading for a showdown with the prison guards union over allegations of extreme guard misconduct at the remote High Desert State Prison in Susanville, 150 miles northeast of Sacramento. A harrowing state inspector general’s report depicts an

CA loosens sex offender restrictions

James Poulos December 21, 2015

California’s strict limits on housing for sex offenders have been effectively wiped out, thanks to the consequences of a shift in regulations brought on by the courts. “Three-quarters of California’s paroled sex offenders previously banned from living near parks, schools

CA faces dueling death penalty initiatives

James Poulos December 20, 2015

Activists on both sides of the death penalty debate were poised for an election day clash, with one group pushing a ban on the practice while the other hoped to speed it up. A new coalition The first group, Taxpayers

Boxer’s claim of 56 percent reduction in gun violence includes suicide, accidental death

Steve Miller December 14, 2015

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer made the day of conservative media outlets when, in the wake of the San Bernardino massacre, she said, “In California, since the ‘90s, we have passed a number of important gun safety laws. And over that

Court won’t sink CA death penalty

James Poulos November 22, 2015

Its fate long in doubt, the death penalty gained a new lease on life in California, driving opponents to muster support for a ballot initiative that would eliminate it once and for all. The turnaround arose from an unlikely place

CA confronts a Prop. 47 crime wave

James Poulos October 16, 2015

Nearly a year after California voters overwhelmingly agreed to lessen sentences and release inmates convicted of minor crimes, statistical and anecdotal evidence has cast doubt on the wisdom of Proposition 47. A souring trend Change has been swift, but results

CA bans campus concealed carry

James Poulos October 14, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill criminalizing the concealed carry of firearms on campus. “Proposed by state Democrats, SB707 passed the Senate in a 23-12 vote in June sending it to the Assembly where it cleared in a largely partisan 54-24 roll call

CA asset forfeiture reform fails

James Poulos September 30, 2015

After passing the state Senate overwhelmingly, California’s bipartisan attempt to reform asset forfeiture laws ran aground in the Assembly, victim of a powerful lobbying campaign conducted by law enforcement and its allies. Golden State cops teamed with prosecutors to sink the

S.F. politician aims to make city more felon-friendly

Chris Reed September 13, 2015

San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim is continuing her push to eliminate some of the life obstacles that people with criminal records face. Her latest proposal, to come before the Board of Supervisors in coming weeks, is to drop the requirement