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Raft of new state laws are going – or have gone – into effect

SACRAMENTO – California Gov. Jerry Brown signed 898 bills into law last year. Most start on Jan. 1, but others going into effect in coming years. The majority of new laws deal with minutiae that’s unlikely to affect most residents, but a number

CalWatchdog Morning Read – August 16

CalWatchdog Staff August 16, 2016

Bill curbing abuses of “policing for profit” clears major hurdle Another state agency is flaunting CA environmental laws Fresno the new Flint? Trump is now the nominee of two parties Brown proposes cap and trade in climate change bill Good

Civil libertarians and police embrace asset-forfeiture compromise

Steven Greenhut August 16, 2016

SACRAMENTO – The California Assembly on Monday approved one of the most significant civil-liberties reforms of the legislative session. Remarkably, the bill – to put limits on the controversial practice of civil asset forfeiture by police agencies – had no

CA poised to reform asset forfeiture by law enforcement

James Poulos August 11, 2016

After a failed attempt last year, so-called asset forfeiture — the controversial nationwide practice used by cops to permanently seize property belonging to individuals who have run afoul of the law but have not been convicted — could soon be reformed in California

CalWatchdog Morning Read – May 25

CalWatchdog Staff May 25, 2016

Bipartisan coalition urging vote on civil asset forfeiture bill San Diego Mayor Faulconer won’t run for governor SF supes vote to amend sanctuary city policy Deal reached in Cal State faculty dispute Assemblyman supports ethics measure prompted by his uncle

CA asset seizure survives SCOTUS review

James Poulos March 6, 2016

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take on a 15-year-old case challenging California’s asset seizure practices. The justices decided “they would not hear a long-running lawsuit that contends the state does not do enough to notify the rightful owners before seizing their

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

Lawmakers bow to pressure, abandon effort to fix property confiscation laws

John September 11, 2015

Government agencies will continue to have the power to confiscate private property in California – without a criminal conviction – after lawmakers bowed to intense lobbying pressure by agencies with a vested interest in maintaining California’s civil asset forfeiture system. “No

Asset forfeiture reform draws bipartisan buzz

James Poulos July 11, 2015

Amid growing national concern over the practice of so-called civil asset forfeiture, bipartisan support has swelled in California to reform the practice, with a new bill poised to add Assembly to Senate approval. An emerging consensus Asset forfeiture, wherein law enforcement retains

CA GOP eyes asset forfeiture reform

James Poulos June 24, 2015

After sailing through the state Senate, a key criminal justice reform bill with bipartisan support faced its first test in the Assembly at a closely watched end-of-month hearing. “SB443 will continue to allow California law enforcement agencies to keep a