SACRAMENTO—Today, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Senator Bob Hertzberg and Assemblymember Rob Bonta announced their plan to work together to reform California’s fraught money bail system. The bill cosponsors issued the statement below in response:
“We look forward to working with Senator Hertzberg, Assemblymember Bonta, Governor Brown, and Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye, and leadership in the Legislature throughout the fall to meaningfully reform California’s bail system.
For years, California’s bail system has failed to achieve its intended purpose of promoting public safety and court appearance, instead leading to the unjust detention of countless Californians who simply could not afford to buy their freedom.
We are encouraged by Governor Brown and Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye’s unprecedented commitment to see these reforms to the finish line early next year. As a coalition, we remain committed to lifting up the voices of people impacted by our unjust bail system to adopt proven solutions, including pretrial services, that improve public safety for all Californians, without denying justice and freedom to low-income people awaiting trial.”
For more information on bail reform, visit: bailreformca.org.
The California Money Bail Reform Act is sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union of California, the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Californians for Safety and Justice, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Essie Justice Group, the California Public Defenders Association, Silicon Valley De-Bug, SEIU California, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty.
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