Capitol Beat – Law Enforcement on the Front Lines Against Cashless Bail
The intensity on the California State Assembly floor on the evening of June 1 was elevated as the highly debated bail reform bill AB 42 — authored by Assembly Member Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) and sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Californians for Safety and Justice, and California Public Defenders Association, among others — was deliberated.
Capitol Beat – The Bail Reform Battle
Bail reform is expected to be in the center ring of the criminal justice reform battles this legislative session. In April, the Assembly Public Safety Committee hearing overflowed into the halls of the Capitol. The crowd was what you would imagine: social justice organizations, law enforcement and an impressive number of bail bond agents, led by celebrity bounty hunters Duane “Dog” and Beth Chapman.
Capitol Beat – Law Enforcement Plays Defense Against Bad Bills
PORAC is tracking a total of 262 bills so far this legislative session. If passed, many of these bills will have a positive impact on law enforcement. However, we still have some tough opponents. Although PORAC is proactively sponsoring and supporting legislation, we also have a high success rate in opposing harmful bills.
Capitol Beat – PORAC Priorities in 2017
Aaron Read and Randy Perry Legislative Advocates Aaron Read & Associates, LLC PORAC-Sponsored Bill: AB 1428, Transparency for Law Enforcement The California Newspaper Publishers Association (CNPA) and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in addition to other social justice organizations, have been shopping around various legislative proposals to lawmakers and their staff that would open up […]
Capitol Beat – RIPA in the Real World
Aaron Read and Randy Perry Legislative Advocates Aaron Read & Associates, LLC In October 2015, AB 953, the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA), authored by Assembly Member Shirley Weber, was signed into law. This dangerous and poorly crafted measure was strongly opposed by PORAC since it was first introduced, but the political dynamic has […]
Capitol Beat – Governor Unveils 2017–2018 Budget Proposal
Aaron Read and Randy Perry Legislative Advocates Aaron Read & Associates, LLC Governor Jerry Brown’s first major action this year was his January 10 unveiling of the 2017–2018 California budget declaring the ambiguous state of our economy. “We’re in very uncertain times,” he said. “We’re very subject to a lot of unpredictability.” With that said, […]
Capitol Beat – Introducing California’s New State Senators
Aaron Read and Randy Perry Legislative Advocates Aaron Read & Associates, LLC A new Legislature is now in place. The question becomes, will we be a one-party state with both houses in supermajority, or will the two-party system either recover or morph into moderate Democrats and progressive Democrats jockeying for Republican support? The way we […]
Capitol Beat – And That’s a Wrap
Aaron Read and Randy Perry Legislative Advocates Aaron Read & Associates, LLC Election Results Well, every once in a while a World Series and an election bring about an exhilarating surprise. The Cubs broke a jinx of more than a century. Donald Trump shook the political system to its core and made everyone question the […]
Rebuilding Trust After Tragedy
TERRY McHALE Vice President MICHELE CERVONE Account Manager Marketplace Communications The unfathomable has now become a harsh new reality for law enforcement in America. On Thursday, July 7, our nation suffered a severe body punch when we lost five brave Dallas officers to a violent, wholesale shooting by a lone gunman. The killings were […]
A Breakdown of New Gun Laws
Aaron Read and Randy Perry Legislative Advocates Aaron Read & Associates, LLC On June 30, the Legislature sent a series of firearm-related bills to the Governor’s desk. Much of the package was a reaction to the recent massacre in Orlando. The Legislature used the “gut and amend” process, in which the current language of […]