California Archives

California Bill That Promotes Alternatives to Policing Is Back Despite Governor’s Veto

The CRISES Act would fund emergency response programs that are not handled by police. Governor Newsom blocked the bill last year, but now advocates are pushing for a redo.

Piper French Feb 17, 2021

Los Angeles D.A. George Gascón Leaves California’s Powerful D.A. Association

Gascón is battling a lawsuit, filed by his own line prosecutors and backed by the state DA association, against his criminal justice reforms.

Jerry Iannelli Feb 16, 2021

Let Civilians Run for Sheriff Again, New California Bill Proposes

The measure may pave the way for more sheriff candidates who want to challenge mass incarceration, but are currently banned from running.

Katie Jane Fernelius Feb 01, 2021

California Could End Cash Bail. But is This Alternative Any Better?

Proposition 25 would replace the current system with an even more punitive one, some criminal justice reform groups say.

Lauren Lee White Oct 21, 2020

Governor Newsom Adds Another Prosecutor to the California Supreme Court

The state has not had a justice with experience as a public defender since the mid-1980s.

Kyle C. Barry Oct 09, 2020

California Adopts New Laws to Fight Racism in Jury Selection

California just made it harder for prosecutors to exclude Black people from jury trials, amid broader reforms against racial discrimination in courtrooms.

Kyle C. Barry Sep 30, 2020

A New Association of Progressive D.A.s Could Overhaul California’s Reform Movement

Prosecutors across the country are rethinking their membership in professional organizations that oppose a meaningful reform agenda.

Jay Willis Sep 15, 2020

Progressives See Super Tuesday as a Chance to Transform Los Angeles

“We’re at a watershed moment for criminal justice reform,” Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, said about Measure R and LA’s upcoming DA election.

Daniel Nichanian Feb 28, 2020

D.A. Associations Should Own Up to the Splintering Politics of Prosecution

California’s DA association responded to a critic in a letter signed by nearly all prosecutors. But this may only exacerbate worries about DAs’ tendency to talk in a single political voice.

Daniel Nichanian Feb 14, 2020

How Rachel Rossi Would Change the D.A.’s Role in Los Angeles: “It Takes a Public Defender”

Rossi rules out seeking the death penalty or prosecuting sex work. “Oftentimes justice may mean a restorative outcome. Oftentimes justice may mean never filing a case,” she said in a Q&A.

Daniel Nichanian Jan 16, 2020

How George Gascón Wants to Reform Los Angeles and Achieve “the Lowest Level of Intervention”

“The problem is that LA County has come to a place where they use the most expensive and the most intrusive tools of the criminal justice system to deal with every behavior,” Gascón said in a Q&A.

Daniel Nichanian Jan 09, 2020

California Legislature Adopts a Flurry of Criminal Justice Reforms

New laws signed by Governor Newsom target private prisons, and fines and fees, the power of DAs, and more.

Daniel Nichanian Sep 19, 2019

Reform Prosecutors Respond to Attack by U.S. Attorney General

Checking-in on the politics of prosecutors: A Vermont state’s attorney makes waves, and California and Florida prosecutors plan on dismissing more drug charges

Daniel Nichanian Aug 22, 2019

States Move to Halt the Death Penalty

California imposes a moratorium and the New Hampshire House votes to abolish it. But in Iowa, lawmakers mull reinstating it.

Daniel Nichanian Mar 14, 2019

California's New Reforms Went into Effect, but Implementation Challenges Lie Ahead

Police transparency, marijuana expungement, and more: Jerry Brown signed a series of reforms that just went into effect, but their implementation hinge in part on local officials.

Daniel Nichanian Jan 17, 2019

In California, Some Jurisdictions Are Curbing Legal Fines and Fees

Fines and fees are one of the many ways in which the criminal legal system places the heaviest burden on communities of color.

Vaidya Gullapalli Nov 26, 2018

photo illustration of Princeton University

2018 Election Preview: Sheriff of Los Angeles County, California

Los Angeles holds rare runoff for sheriff in a department rocked by scandals Daniel Nichanian Numerous scandals have hit the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department this year. In September, The Appeal reported about mounting allegations of abuse by the department’s deputies. In early October, the Los Angeles Times published an investigation into racial profiling that found that 69 percent of […]

Daniel Nichanian Nov 01, 2018