After Sacramento police shot and killed Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man who was in his grandparents’ backyard, activists set out to change California law. They wanted to make it harder to legally justify police shootings. That sparked a heated debate in the state Capitol between the powerful police lobby and families whose loved ones have died at the hands of law enforcement.

Force of Law, a podcast series by CalMatters and Studiotobe, followed the issue throughout 2019 as California politicians decided whether to approve a tougher standard for police to use deadly force. Reporter Laurel Rosenhall brings you the stories of victims’ families, officers on the front lines and politicians attempting to curb police shootings.

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Laurel covers California politics for CalMatters, with a focus on power and personalities in the state Capitol. She's been included in the Washington Post’s list of outstanding state politics reporters...