Criminal Justice

Reducing California’s corrections budget is the right strategy, and efforts should be made to overturn extreme sentencing laws.

1. California widens mental health conditions insurers must cover In the past, state law only required treatment for nine serious mental illnesses. Even before the pandemic, more than half of Californians said most people with mental health conditions couldn’t get the help they needed. Some families even dropped private insurance to qualify for treatment in […]

For decades, many California teens convicted of serious crimes — such as robbery, assault, and murder — were sent to state juvenile prisons. This year Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the closure of these state facilities. Under a new law, California’s three remaining youth prisons will no longer accept newly convicted youth after July 2021. Instead, counties will […]

As California has faced its most devastating wildfire season on record, nearly a third of the people on the frontlines have been state prisoners. Despite their firsthand experience, many incarcerated people couldn’t become firefighters after being released. A new California law aims to change that and make it easier to hire formerly incarcerated firefighters. Until […]

In the wake of the election, our first order of business must be an economic stimulus, and then we need to invest in a green and just recovery.

Laws that criminalize everyday behavior like sleeping and sitting are specifically used to target certain Californians for simply existing in public space.

California voters rejected the Legislature’s decision to end cash bail. While it doesn’t mean the end of criminal justice reform, it does signal more work ahead.

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, November 5. Big loss for labor unions Uber and Lyft’s $206 million campaign to defy all three branches of California government has paid off — to the tune of $10 billion. That’s how much the gig companies’ valuations shot up after California voters approved Proposition 22 Tuesday night, exempting the […]

Over the last three decades, Californians have swung from “tough on crime” conservatism to a more lenient, less punitive approach to criminal justice. Based on the results of this year’s election, it doesn’t look like the pendulum is swinging back anytime soon. Already the state had gradually eased up on sentencing standards, made it easier […]

Voters in blue California are favoring Joe Biden and other Democrats but unions are faring poorly vis-a-vis corporations.