September 8, 2016

As the Legislature approached its August 31 deadline to pass or hold legislation, several bills that CSAC is actively engaged with moved to the Governor’s desk for his signature or veto including:

Signature Requests

AB 1854, by Assembly Member Richard Bloom, which would restore the ability for prosecutorial agencies and county counsel offices to recover their costs incurred in successfully opposing a motion to vacate the forfeiture of bail. CSAC co-sponsored this bill with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office.

AB 2012, by Assembly Member Frank Bigelow, would allow the Board of Supervisors in the counties of Lake, Madera, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, Sonoma, Stanislaus, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura and San Joaquin to authorize the sheriff to create a Jail Industry Authority program. Jail industry authority programs that are linked to formal education and adult literacy training can significantly reduce recidivism, the rising costs of corrections, and criminal activities. CSAC supports this measure.

AB 2765, by Assembly Member Shirley Weber, would authorize a person to petition for a reduction of sentence before November 4, 2022, or at a later date upon a showing of good cause, which would provide more time for both counties and offenders to petition the court for resentencing. CSAC supports this measure.

SB 266, by Senator Marty Block, would authorize county probation departments to use “flash incarceration” for a person on probation or mandatory supervision. “Flash incarceration” is a period of detention in a county jail due to a violation of an offender’s conditions of probation or mandatory supervision. It is one of the successful tools probation uses in supervising and working with Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) offenders. CSAC and UCC support this measure.

SB 807, by Senator Ted Gaines, would provide civil immunity to any emergency responder who damages a drone in the course of firefighting, air ambulance, or search-and-rescue operations. In addition SB 807 also clarifies that the immunity is in addition to any other immunity provided to a local public entity or public employee under law. CSAC and CSAC-EIA support this measure.

SB 872, by Senator Isadore Hall, would allow a city council or county board of supervisors to offer a contract for law enforcement services to a private school, college or university, if that private school, college or university requests it. CSAC supports this measure.

SB 1064, by Senator Loni Hancock, would extend the operation of Alameda County’s H.E.A.T. Watch pilot program indefinitely and expand the definition of commercially sexually exploited minors. The program is a comprehensive guide to help communities in their efforts to combat and prevent the proliferation of human trafficking as a criminal enterprise. The program focuses on collaborative strategies including robust community engagement, training of law enforcement, aggressive prosecution of traffickers, and promoting sustainable policy changes. CSAC supports this measure.

SB 1385, by Senator Connie Leyva, allows the December 2, 2015 San Bernardino County terrorist attack to be eligible for a 100 percent reimbursement of costs through the California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA). The cost of the terrorist attack in San Bernardino exceeds $19 million. SB 1385 would ensure that the local agencies that responded to the San Bernardino County terrorist attack are eligible to receive full reimbursement for eligible costs related to this horrific event. CSAC supports this measure

Veto Requests

SB 1157, by Senator Holly Mitchell, would require local detention facilities that elect to use video or other types of electronic visitation must provide for a specified number of in-person visits at the facility. For existing correctional facilities that do not provide in-person visitation, these facilities must comply with these requirements by January 1, 2022. CSAC opposes this measure and is requesting a veto.

SB 1289, by Senator Ricardo Lara, would prohibit local law enforcement agencies and local governments from contracting with for-profit entities to detain immigrants. SB 1289 would limit counties ability to contract with specific providers, providers the state currently contracts with for holding inmates in and out-of-state. CSAC opposes any measure that would limit a county’s authority to contract with a facility that detains offenders whether they are immigrants, felons, or misdemeanants. This measure ties local law enforcement’s hands and exposes local governments to state civil liability. CSAC opposes this measure and is requesting a veto.