Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
California Bill Would Seal 2 Million Criminal Records
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
February 24, 2020

Share

SACRAMENTO — The California Legislature will consider a bill that would wipe the low-level criminal records of about 2 million people going back decades. It’s the author’s second attempt to remove barriers to finding work or housing.

In California, arrest and conviction records of lower-level felonies and misdemeanors eligible for probation can be expunged. Sex offenders and any offender who served time in prison are ineligible. The bill would not change which records are eligible to be expunged.
The measure is part of a provision that was removed from a bill approved last year that would expunge records of certain arrests and crimes starting in 2021.
Assemblyman Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat, proposed the new bill on Monday with the backing of district attorneys from San Francisco and San Joaquin County.
Officials said records like being arrested for domestic violence or impaired driving where charges weren’t filed could be automatically cleared.
In California, arrest and conviction records of lower-level felonies and misdemeanors eligible for probation can be expunged. Sex offenders and any offender who served time in prison are ineligible. The bill would not change which records are eligible to be expunged.
The proposal would automatically clear records dating back to 1973. It’s uncertain if the proposal will succeed this year. A month after Ting introduced his bill last year in February, it was amended in the Assembly to ensure the law would not apply retroactively.

The Proposal Automates That Process, Removing the Need to Petition Judges

Individuals with arrest records and convictions can currently apply to the courts to seal qualifying records, but critics say the process can cost thousands of dollars in attorneys fees. The proposal automates that process, removing the need to petition judges.
“It’s going to cost you a very good attorney and about $10,000 and at least a year of your time,” said Tori Salazar, San Joaquin County district attorney. As a prosecutor, Salazar acknowledged that years ago she would have laughed at the idea that easing the erasure of criminal records would help victims.
“But I stand here today saying this is one of the best victim prevention tools that we have,” she said, because clearing records can help an individual find employment instead of turning to crime.
The California District Attorneys Association didn’t respond to a request weighing in on the proposal.
Last year’s bill requires the state attorney general beginning on Jan. 1, 2021 to scan monthly for qualifying records that can be cleared.
Ting said on Monday that the attorney general’s office will propose funds in this year’s upcoming budget for the development of software to scan for records. Running the program would cost the state pennies to search for an individual’s record, he said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

DON'T MISS

Coco Gauff Defeats Top-Ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 Sets to Win Her First French Open Title

DON'T MISS

Texas Beats Texas Tech in 3rd Game of WCWS to Win Its 1st National Championship

DON'T MISS

Conforto Comes Through, Dodgers Rally in 8th for Victory Abetted by Mets Mishap

DON'T MISS

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

DON'T MISS

Trans Troops, Facing a Deadline, Opt to Stay and Fight the Ban

DON'T MISS

Can This 14-Year-Old Football Star Become a High School Millionaire?

DON'T MISS

Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back Rules Projected to Save Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Lives

DON'T MISS

Valley Foster Care Agencies Are Facing an Insurance Crisis and Possible Closure

DON'T MISS

World’s Largest Almond Processor Will Shutter Sacramento Plant. 600 Workers Impacted

UP NEXT

Trump Eyes Major Funding Cuts for California, Including All Public Universities

UP NEXT

Southern California Air Regulators Weigh a Plan to Phase Out Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters

UP NEXT

Doctors Were Preparing to Remove Their Organs. Then They Woke Up.

UP NEXT

FDA’s AI Assistant ‘Elsa’ Fails Its First Day on the Job

UP NEXT

Newsom Promises Funding to Jump-Start ‘Science of Reading’

UP NEXT

Rancho Cucamonga Prepares for First US Bullet Train Hub in 2028

UP NEXT

8 Ways Musk and Trump Could Inflict Pain on Each Other

UP NEXT

D-Day Veterans Return to Normandy to Mark 81st Anniversary of Landings

UP NEXT

Lambda Legal, a Nonprofit Supporting LGBTQ+ Rights, Exceeded Fundraising Goal by $105M

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens Musk’s Government Deals as Feud Explodes Over Tax-Cut Bill

Conforto Comes Through, Dodgers Rally in 8th for Victory Abetted by Mets Mishap

6 hours ago

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

6 hours ago

Trans Troops, Facing a Deadline, Opt to Stay and Fight the Ban

7 hours ago

Can This 14-Year-Old Football Star Become a High School Millionaire?

8 hours ago

Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back Rules Projected to Save Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Lives

8 hours ago

Valley Foster Care Agencies Are Facing an Insurance Crisis and Possible Closure

8 hours ago

World’s Largest Almond Processor Will Shutter Sacramento Plant. 600 Workers Impacted

22 hours ago

Trump Eyes Major Funding Cuts for California, Including All Public Universities

23 hours ago

Farming Regulation Costs Rise 1,300% Since 2006: Cal Poly

23 hours ago

Southern California Air Regulators Weigh a Plan to Phase Out Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters

24 hours ago

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

PARIS — Top-ranked Jannik Sinner has not yet dropped a set in his bid to win the French Open for the first time. Defending champion Carlos A...

6 hours ago

6 hours ago

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

6 hours ago

Coco Gauff Defeats Top-Ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 Sets to Win Her First French Open Title

6 hours ago

Texas Beats Texas Tech in 3rd Game of WCWS to Win Its 1st National Championship

6 hours ago

Conforto Comes Through, Dodgers Rally in 8th for Victory Abetted by Mets Mishap

6 hours ago

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

8 hours ago

Trans Troops, Facing a Deadline, Opt to Stay and Fight the Ban

9 hours ago

Can This 14-Year-Old Football Star Become a High School Millionaire?

9 hours ago

Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back Rules Projected to Save Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Lives

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend