Capitol Beat – Hitting the Ground Running
Governor Jerry Brown, who has always taken a more conservative approach to spending, is using much of this year’s surplus to stash away billions of dollars in reserves, both because of the recession that he believes is looming and due to the prospect of the Republican Congress cutting social services in the wake of its vote for a tax cut last month that could swell the federal deficit by $1.4 trillion over a decade.
Capitol Beat – Hitting the Ground Running
Aaron Read and Randy Perry Legislative Advocates Aaron Read & Associates, LLC This January begins the second half of a two-year legislative session. This means that we will see many of our 2017 priority bills moving through committee and floor hearings once again. We will also see other bills amended with brand-new language for us […]
Capitol Beat – The Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act
RIPA Advisory Board Oath of Office
Capitol Beat – 2017 End-of-Session Report
Capitol Beat – The Suspense…
Capitol Beat – The Cost of Cashless Bail
June Rodgers’ son was shot 22 times on April 9, 2017. Just four days earlier, her son’s killer, Jules Black, a convicted felon who was arrested for illegally carrying a 9 mm pistol, was released from jail as a result of New Jersey’s Bail Reform and Speedy Trial Act. After a lengthy assessment screening developed by the Arnold Foundation, Black was not considered a threat to society or likely to commit another crime prior to his hearing on the possession charge. The prediction couldn’t have been more wrong, and it cost June’s son, Christian, his life.
Capitol Beat – War on Police
In spite of our knowledge of the legislative process, we can never anticipate all the surprises that each legislative session brings. PORAC and the team at Aaron Read & Associates (ARA) enter each session equipped with the experiences of the past, homework to address new issues and an understanding of how the future will be shaped.
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.