Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

What’s Behind California’s Frozen Housing Market?

37 minutes ago

Oil Prices Rise on Trade War Relief, US Pressure on Russia

2 hours ago

Marjorie Taylor Greene Is First Republican Lawmaker to Call Gaza Crisis a ‘Genocide’

4 hours ago

Trump’s EPA to Repeal Core of Greenhouse Gas Rules in Major Deregulatory Move

5 hours ago

US Approval of Israel’s Gaza Offensive Drops to 32%, Poll Shows

5 hours ago

Shooter in New York Skyscraper Left Note Blaming NFL for Brain Injury, Mayor Says

6 hours ago

Trump Eyes Aug 1 Trade Deals as EU, China Talks Continue, US Commerce Chief Says

6 hours ago

Trump Says Many Are Starving in Gaza, Vows to Set up Food Centers

1 day ago
Ban on Chokeholds Among California Criminal Justice Reforms
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
October 1, 2020

Share

SACRAMENTO — Spurred by the slayings of George Floyd and other Black people in police custody across the country, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday banned certain chokeholds as he approved several new laws designed to increase oversight of the criminal justice system.

The veto “is in sharp contrast to his promises to address systemic racism and violence in policing,” said Cat Brooks, co-founder of Anti Police-Terror Project. “Shame on you.”

But amid national calls to defund the police, he vetoed a priority bill of reform groups that would have provided state funding for community organizations to take over some police duties in an effort to deescalate confrontations.

Newsom supported the concept of the bill, which passed with near-unanimous bipartisan support, but objected to how it would have been administered.

The veto “is in sharp contrast to his promises to address systemic racism and violence in policing,” said Cat Brooks, co-founder of Anti Police-Terror Project. “Shame on you.”

While she noted that Newsom promised to keep working on the issue with lawmakers next year, “how many lives will we lose between now and then?”

The California bill banning neck holds does not apply to the sort of suffocation that killed Floyd in May in Minneapolis and led to months of protests. Floyd died when a police officer put his knee on Floyd’s neck while he was on the ground.

Still, Assemblyman Mike Gipson said his bill was spurred by Floyd and “many others (who) have cried out, ‘I can’t breathe,’ and law enforcement must now use alternative methods to restrain a suspect instead of these life-threatening holds.”

Newsom Acted Over the Objection of the County Sheriffs’ Association

California’s ban applies to arm-based grips including chokeholds that apply pressure to a person’s windpipe, and to carotid holds, which slow the flow of blood to the brain. The ban on chokeholds and other neck restraints followed an order by Newsom in June discouraging use of the holds.

Under another new law, one that has been years in the making, the state attorney general will be required to investigate fatal police shootings of unarmed civilians.

Newsom acted over the objection of the county sheriffs’ association when he approved a law making it clear that county supervisors can create oversight boards and inspectors general with subpoena powers over independently elected sheriffs.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra opposed versions of the bill giving his office responsibility for investigating fatal shootings by police and blocked similar proposals in previous years, on the grounds that his office lacks the funds or personnel needed to take over from hundreds of local law enforcement agencies. Some critics, meanwhile, said the attorney general’s office is too tied to law enforcement to be completely objective.

Assemblyman Kevin McCarty said his bill recognizes the “inherent conflict of interest with police essentially policing themselves.”

Under another new law, suspects may be entitled to new trials or sentences if they can demonstrate that any part of their case, from arrest to sentencing, was tainted by racial bias. Among other things, defendants can try to show with statistics that there are systemic racial disparities in bringing certain charges or that minorities are more likely to be convicted or receive longer sentences.

Newsom Also Signed a Bill He Sought That Will Phase Out the State’s Remaining Juvenile Prisons

“This bill gives me hope that one day we will have a justice system that deserves to have justice in its title,” said Zachary Norris, executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.

The California District Attorneys Association objected that the law will prompt mistrials or other steps “without any showing that … the bias has any impact whatsoever on the outcome of the trial, or that the defendant was deprived of a fair trial.”

Newsom also approved a bill allowing judges, starting in 2022, to assess whether lawyers illegally exclude jurors based on their race.

While the governor and advocates hailed the new laws, many more controversial measures died among law enforcement opposition in the closing hours of the legislative session last month. They included proposals to end the careers of officers who commit serious misconduct, release more police misconduct records, require officers to intervene if they see excessive use of force, and limit their use of rubber bullets and tear gas against peaceful protesters.

“I hope people recognize we’re moving in the right direction, and again I just recognize we have a lot more work to do in this space and we are not walking away from that responsibility,” Newsom said, promising renewed efforts next year.

Newsom also signed a bill he sought that will phase out the state’s remaining juvenile prisons, which currently hold about 750 youths, a move that state Sen. Nancy Skinner called “monumental for juvenile justice in California.”

Counties will stop sending juveniles to state lockups after July 1. The state will instead create an Office of Youth and Community Restoration and send grants to counties to provide custody and supervision.

Other Measures Approved by the Governor

— Require law enforcement agencies to evaluate officers for any bias based on race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion, disability or sexual orientation. Recruiting materials would “deemphasize the paramilitary aspects of the job and place more emphasis on community interaction.”

— Limit probation terms to no longer than two years for a felony conviction and one year for a misdemeanor conviction. But he vetoed a separate bill that would have allowed parolees to reduce the length of their supervision by completing rehabilitation programs, saying the corrections department is working on a similar policy.

— Create a diversion program for misdemeanor offenders and allow felons over 50 who have served at least 20 years behind bars to apply for an elderly parole program that now involves inmates who are at least 60. The diversion program was opposed by the state prosecutors association and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and Newsom said he wants an amendment next year excluding people convicted of driving while intoxicated.

— Bars law enforcement officials from wearing military-style uniforms that can make it difficult for civilians to distinguish officers from members of the National Guard.

He also vetoed several bills, including measures that would have:

— Required law enforcement agencies to notify the state whenever an officer is fired, saying it might derail efforts to permanently take away their badges.

— Created a new California Reentry Commission within the state corrections department to help inmates with health and safety issues. He said that could duplicate other efforts.

— Barred police from interfering with journalists ’ ability to go behind police lines during demonstrations. He said the broad definition of journalist could have created a security risk.

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

Trump Approval Rating Sinks to 40%, the Lowest of His Term, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

DON'T MISS

What’s Behind California’s Frozen Housing Market?

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Authorities Find Body in Sequoia National Park

DON'T MISS

Oil Prices Rise on Trade War Relief, US Pressure on Russia

DON'T MISS

Scottie Scheffler vs. Everybody: Open Champion Makes His Case Among the Greats

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Wall Street Journal, Murdoch Want to Settle Defamation Lawsuit

DON'T MISS

New York Officer Killed in Manhattan Shooting Remembered as Hero in Bangladesh, US

DON'T MISS

More Than 100 NFL Players and Club Employees Face Fines for Selling Super Bowl Tickets

DON'T MISS

US States Sue Over Trump Demands for Data on Food Stamp Recipients

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Will Pay Nikki Henry $162K Without Board’s Public Vote

UP NEXT

Marjorie Taylor Greene Is First Republican Lawmaker to Call Gaza Crisis a ‘Genocide’

UP NEXT

New Gallup Poll Reveals Most Immoral Behaviors In America

UP NEXT

What Does Trump Crackdown on Homelessness Mean for California?

UP NEXT

California Governor Candidate Stirs Outrage With Auschwitz ‘Unemployment Plan’ Post

UP NEXT

California May Soon Ban Selling New Glocks Like Kamala Harris Owns

UP NEXT

Trump Asks for Swift Deposition of Murdoch in Epstein Defamation Case

UP NEXT

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

UP NEXT

NASA Says 20% of Workforce to Depart Space Agency

UP NEXT

Jack McAuliffe, Who Started a Craft Beer Revolution, Dies at 80

UP NEXT

Key Player in California’s Water Wars Embraces Controversial Newsom Plan

Oil Prices Rise on Trade War Relief, US Pressure on Russia

2 hours ago

Scottie Scheffler vs. Everybody: Open Champion Makes His Case Among the Greats

2 hours ago

Trump Says Wall Street Journal, Murdoch Want to Settle Defamation Lawsuit

2 hours ago

New York Officer Killed in Manhattan Shooting Remembered as Hero in Bangladesh, US

2 hours ago

More Than 100 NFL Players and Club Employees Face Fines for Selling Super Bowl Tickets

3 hours ago

US States Sue Over Trump Demands for Data on Food Stamp Recipients

3 hours ago

Fresno Unified Will Pay Nikki Henry $162K Without Board’s Public Vote

3 hours ago

FAA Failed to Act Before Helicopter Crash, Transport Chief Says

3 hours ago

Marjorie Taylor Greene Is First Republican Lawmaker to Call Gaza Crisis a ‘Genocide’

4 hours ago

UK Will Recognize Palestinian Statehood in September, Barring Israel-Hamas Ceasefire

4 hours ago

Trump Approval Rating Sinks to 40%, the Lowest of His Term, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s approval rating dropped one percentage point to 40%, the lowest level of his second term in office, as...

5 minutes ago

President Donald Trump speaks at a dinner with Republican Senators, in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 18, 2025. (Reuters File)
5 minutes ago

Trump Approval Rating Sinks to 40%, the Lowest of His Term, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

Home in Fresno, California's Tower District
37 minutes ago

What’s Behind California’s Frozen Housing Market?

The body of a woman swept into the Kaweah River in May was recovered last week by Tulare County authorities and the National Park Service. (Tulare County SO)
1 hour ago

Tulare County Authorities Find Body in Sequoia National Park

The sun is seen behind a crude oil pump jack in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, U.S., November 22, 2019. (REUTERS/Angus Mordant/File Photo)
2 hours ago

Oil Prices Rise on Trade War Relief, US Pressure on Russia

Scottie Scheffler Celebrates Winning the 2024 Masters
2 hours ago

Scottie Scheffler vs. Everybody: Open Champion Makes His Case Among the Greats

Rupert Murdoch looks on, at the White House, in Washington, U.S. February 3, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Trump Says Wall Street Journal, Murdoch Want to Settle Defamation Lawsuit

A post on X issued by NYPD shows a photo of police officer Didarul Islam, killed in a mass shooting, following a reported shooter situation in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., in this picture obtained from social media released July 28, 2025. NYPD News via X/via REUTERS
2 hours ago

New York Officer Killed in Manhattan Shooting Remembered as Hero in Bangladesh, US

The NFL logo is painted in the end-zone as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the New England Patriots at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports/ File Photo
3 hours ago

More Than 100 NFL Players and Club Employees Face Fines for Selling Super Bowl Tickets

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

Search

Send this to a friend