Gorilla glue girl fire marshall bill8/18/2023 ![]() ![]() Riverside Superior Court spokesperson Marita Ford wrote in an email that the “court doesn’t really have any comment on the pending legislation but if it is passed, we will of course ensure compliance.This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. So far, no groups have expressed opposition to the legislation. Gracie Burger, the group’s state policy director, said in a statement that Bonta’s bill would “ensure that California delivers on its overdue promise to those harmed by the War on Drugs.” The legislation is also supported by the Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for the release of all people incarcerated for cannabis offenses. “For decades, the justice system quickly and enthusiastically destroyed the lives of men, women, and children accused of nonviolent marijuana offenses-this bill simply requires the system to act with similar enthusiasm and speed when giving the formerly convicted back their lives,” Stewart-Oaten said in a statement. ![]() Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender Nick Stewart-Oaten, a board member of the California Public Defenders Association, applauded Bonta’s proposed legislation. “Black people, people of color, especially were targeted by the War on Drugs,” said Bonta. The measure also expands eligibility for expungement to some conspiracy convictions where prosecutors have the discretion to charge an offense as either a felony or a misdemeanor.īonta said that expunging past convictions for cannabis-related crimes is needed to address the harm and racial inequities caused by cannabis prohibition. Additionally, the legislation requires the state justice department to head a public awareness campaign to inform those affected that their records have been cleared and they no longer have to disclose their past convictions. “The court has begun working on these cases, and resources permitting, intends to complete the work by July 1, 2022,” said San Bernardino Superior Court spokesperson Julie Van Hook.īonta’s bill also requires the Judicial Council to collect data on cannabis conviction expungement and make regular public reports on the state’s progress. The delay comes despite the counties receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds allocated to process the records. Another 5,400 cases in San Bernardino County have not been cleared. But the investigation found that some counties have not yet fully processed any cases eligible for expungement, including Riverside County, where 21,000 cases await action. Some counties, including Los Angeles and Santa Clara Counties, have made significant progress in clearing past cannabis convictions. No Expungements Progress in Some Counties “There are 34,000 people in the state of California… who are not able to truly and fully live their lives because there has been a failure to fully implement the law.” “By default, the record would be sealed if the case is eligible,” said Bonta. Under Bonta’s bill, the state Department of Justice would be directed to update the records if prosecutors or the courts fail to meet their prescribed deadlines. Further legislation passed in 2018 required the state to take the lead on clearing past marijuana convictions.īut a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed earlier this month that the courts have still not processed the records for at least 34,000 cases. ![]() Proposition 64, the landmark 2016 voter initiative that legalized recreational marijuana in California, included provisions to carry out expungements of convictions for cannabis-related offenses no longer illegal under state law. “This bill would allow us to automatically seal qualifying cannabis criminal records.” I’m focused on making sure that California keeps its promises,” said Bonta. The state justice department would then be required to use the information from the courts to update its records by July 1, 2023. The legislation sponsored by State Assemblymember Mia Bonta would require courts to update case files for marijuana-related convictions and transmit them to the California Department of Justice by January 1, 2023, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. California courts would face a deadline to implement expungements for past cannabis-related convictions under a bill introduced in the State Assembly on Wednesday. ![]()
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