With approximately two weeks remaining before the July 14 legislative deadline for policy committees to approve and refer bills for further consideration, the Assembly and Senate Public Safety committees met June 27, passing many proposals on partisan votes.
One such proposal was Senate Bill 94, authored by Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), which would allow for potentially reducing sentences of inmates convicted of murder with special circumstances resulting in terms of life without parole before 1990.
The proposed legislation was hotly contested during the hearing, including by family members of victims, law enforcement agencies, and Republican committee members.
“I find this to be very, very disheartening, and it shows the imbalance that we’ve come to in this consideration and the overfocus on offenders,” Assemblyman Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) told his colleagues on the committee. “I’m just tired of it, and I think the people of this great state and the country are tired of it.”…