Facing staunch opposition from family members of victims, law enforcement groups, and Republican lawmakers, a bill that would allow for resentencing of inmates convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee June 27 on a partisan vote. Introduced with the intention of allowing a path for release for elderly…

San Francisco—The California Senate passed a controversial bill on May 31 that would prohibit employers from requiring staff to intervene in active shoplifting. The bill is pending further review by state Assembly committees. SB 553, authored by state Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), requires employers, who could potentially be victims of shoplifting and robberies, do…

California legislators will continue to consider a bill that allows for the potential release of former death-row inmates convicted of murder, after it passed its first hurdle in the Senate Public Safety Committee April 11 on a 4–1 vote. Authored by state Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), and co-authored by a list of Democratic senators,…

Voting Inmate Voting (ACA 4) Assemblyman Isaac Bryan’s (D-Culver City) bill would amend the state Constitution to allow inmates that are incarcerated for felonies to vote while still in prison. If passed by a two-thirds vote in both the Assembly and Senate, it would then require a majority of voters statewide to pass. Under current…

California lawmakers recently proposed a bill that would grant $1,000 per month in guaranteed income to the state’s homeless high school seniors. Senate Bill 333, introduced Feb. 7 by state Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), would provide such funds through establishing a guaranteed income pilot program called Success, Opportunity, & Academic Resilience (SOAR). There are…