Nov. 6, 2023 – Editorial: L.A. court’s refreshing candor on money bail: It doesn’t make us safer. THE TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD, Los Angeles Times. “In fact, the chief shortcoming of the Superior Court’s protocol is not that it eliminates money bail in many cases, but that it keeps it intact for the most serious crimes because state law requires it. Changing that requirement should be near the top of state lawmakers’ to-do lists, along with rejecting the fear-and-folklore-based approach to justice and public safety.”
Nov. 6, 2023 – Beyond Bruin Walk: LA County’s new zero bail policy could create a more just criminal justice system. Nicolas Greamo, Assistant Opinion editor, Daily Bruin. “For individuals living paycheck to paycheck, even a brief period of incarceration can be devastating for job opportunities and access to housing.”
Nov. 3, 2023 – LAPD Issues Statement Regarding Zero Bail Protocols in Los Angeles; New Protocols Effects on Felony Arrests for Community. Dolores Quintana, Westsidetoday.com.
Nov. 2, 2023 – Should money decide who is kept in jail? More locations are saying no. Jamiles Lartey, gwinnettdailypost.com story about how The Marshall Project looks into how Los Angeles and Illinois are the latest jurisdictions to change their cash bail system and what effect that will have on courts and criminal defendants.
Oct. 30, 2023 – LACo court officials say new report shows zero-bail system working well.
City News Service. “Despite a significant amount of misinformation circulating regarding the new bail policy’s impact on public safety, we are encouraged that the first three weeks of data reveal the new system is actually keeping communities safer,” Superior Court Executive Officer/Clerk of Court David W. Slayton.”
Oct. 30, 2023 – LA Court officials defend new zero bail policy: ‘The system is working.’: Officials released data on the first three weeks of the new zero bail system, showing that less than a quarter of all arrestees were released without being jailed. Hillel Aron, Courthouse News.
Oct. 30, 2023 – LA County courts tout early data as sign of zero bail’s success. Jason Henry, Pasadena Star News (SCNG.com)
“’This new system is working exactly the way it was intended,’ says the presiding judge of the Superior Courts. Less than 3% of the 5,113 people booked for a crime in the first three weeks of October committed were arrested for a second offense after their release under Los Angeles County’s controversial zero-bail policy, according to the Superior Court.”
Oct. 30, 2023 – Early Data Appears To Show Zero Bail Policy Effects. Yusra Farzan, LAist. “Initial data unequivocally show the significant public safety benefits of this new approach,” Presiding Judge Samantha P. Jessner said.
Oct. 30, 2023 – LA County court officials say data shows zero-bail system is ‘working well.’ City News Service Staff.
Oct. 30, 2023 – LA County Superior Court sees early success in controversial zero bail system. Jeff Nguyen, CBS News/LA.
Oct. 28, 2023 – Torrance joins lawsuit against LA County’s zero-bail policy. Teresa Liu, SCNG.com. “’We have long known that money bail does not keep us safe. It undermines fairness and justice, disproportionately harms Black, Latino and poor people, and exacerbates cycles of poverty,’ according to a statement from Michelle Parris, director of Vera California, a local initiative of the Vera Institute of Justice.”
Oct. 28, 2023 – Reformers Praise Los Angeles Cash Bail Reforms. David M. Greenwald, Executive Editor of DavisVanguard.org. “Miriam Krinsky of Fair and Just Prosecution on Friday pointed out, ‘The research driving these changes is crystal clear – reforming cash bail does not jeopardize public safety and has actually been shown to decrease crime….We cannot let fear-mongering derail these long overdue reforms. Those opposed to common sense bail reform want you to believe that it will lead to increases in violent crime.”
Oct. 27, 2023 – Retailers are overstating the impact of theft, report says. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN. “Retailers say theft is exploding, and some data from retailers along with numerous videos of violent store robberies and looting seem to support the claim. But some retail analysts and researchers, bolstered by local crime statistics, say stores may be over-stating the extent and impact of theft….[Meanwhile, businesses] have called for local and state government to more aggressively prosecute organized retail crime, lower the dollar thresholds for theft to rise to a felony, and reverse policies to eliminate cash bail.”
Oct. 24, 2023 – LA judge leaves cash bail block in place, despite new court policy. California Courts via EIN Presswire
Oct. 24, 2023 – Fair And Just Prosecution Executive Director Makes Statement on Los Angeles Cash Bail Reforms. Kayla Meraz and Julie McCaffrey, Daily Vanguard.
Oct. 23, 2023 – LA judge leaves cash bail block in place, despite new court policy: The landscape around pre-arraignment cash bail in Los Angeles is ever changing, thanks to multiple lawsuits, new policy shifts and an upcoming election. Hillel Aron, Courthouse News. “A hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction in that (12 cities in LA County) case has been scheduled for Nov. 17, though the motion itself has yet to be filed….The case stems from the class action Urquidi vs. Los Angeles, filed by a pair of nonprofit public interest law firms last year on behalf of six people who had recently been jailed and couldn’t afford to pay their pre-arraignment bail. The suit argued that it violated the California Constitution by treating arrestees with money differently from arrestees without money.
Oct. 18, 2023 – Manhattan Beach joins impending lawsuit against zero-bail in LA County. Tyler Shaun, Daily Breeze.
Oct. 17, 2023 – Santa Monica City Council Votes to Join Lawsuit Challenging County’s Zero Bail System. Scott Snowden / SMDP/Westsidecurrent.com
Oct. 15, 2023 – New Bail Policy in Los Angeles Superior Working, Despite Fearmongering by Opponents, Charges Justice Group. Vanguard Administrator, Daily Vanguard. “Michelle Parris, director of Vera California, said Pre-Arraignment Release Protocols (PARP) is an ’essential first step toward safety, justice, and the end of a two-tiered criminal legal system where the rich can buy their freedom while the poor languish in jail.’ Parris added, ‘We have long known that money bail does not keep us safe. It undermines fairness and justice, disproportionately harms Black, Latino, and poor people, and exacerbates cycles of poverty.’”
Oct. 15, 2023 – Now that LA County courts have eliminated cash bail for most offenses, what happens next? Jason Henry, Pasadena Star News, and Scott Schwebke, Orange County Register. “Proponents generally support the idea of more eyes on cases before arraignment, but they say it remains to be seen how the magistrates, who are Superior Court judges, will wield that power. Court decisions that expanded judges’ discretion often have led to more holds, not less, they said.
Still, for those who have been pushing for reforms for years, the Superior Court system’s strong stance against cash bail is a positive sign, said Brian Hardingham, senior attorney for the Debtors’ Prison Project at Public Justice, the nonprofit legal advocacy group that sued Los Angeles County and won the injunction that reinstated zero-bail earlier this year.
“A lot of this is going to come down to the details,” he said. “We’re encouraged by the general direction this is going in and paying close attention.”
Oct. 12, 2023 – Santa Monica Joins Lawsuit to Block Zero Bail. Jorge Casuso, Santa Monica Outlook.
Oct. 11, 2023 – [Santa Clarita] City votes to join lawsuit over bail. Perry Smith, The Signal, Santa Clarity Valley.
Oct. 10, 2023 – More San Gabriel Valley cities back effort to stop zero-bail policy in LA County.
Georgia Valdes, San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Oct. 9, 2023 – A New Kind of Justice: Zero-bail policy goes into effect in LA County. Leah Schwartz, LA Downtown News Staff Writer.
Oct. 8, 2023 – What Does the L. A. County ‘Zero-Bail’ Decision Mean to Burbank? Craig Sherwood, Myburbank.com. “In Burbank, the City Attorney’s office handles people arrested in Burbank for misdemeanor arrests. City Attorney Joe McDougall says his staff will continue prosecuting crimes, no matter the bail situation.
Oct 7, 2023 – Bail Project Praises Los Angeles for Recent Improvement of Bail System. Cheyenne Galloway, 10 Davis Vanguard.
Oct. 6, 2023 – Fact Check Team: LA County’s new cash-bail policy raises controversy. Courtney Rau, NBC National Desk. “A controversial new zero-bail policy in Los Angeles County has some cities questioning how it will impact their communities.”
Oct. 5, 2023 – Beverly Hills Joins Lawsuit to Postpone ‘Zero-Bail’ Policy . Clara Harter, Beverly Hills Courier.
Oct. 4, 2023 – Zero-bail policy in LA County is here but what has actually changed? Christiane Cordero, ABC7. “ABC7 compared the 2022 bail schedules over its 2023 counterparts. Here’s what we uncovered.”
Oct. 4, 2023 – Editorial: How the court’s bail reform plan could go wrong. How to keep it going right. Los Angeles Times Editorial. “Police in recent weeks convinced the court to allow officers to request that any suspect be referred to a magistrate, even if the alleged crime calls for just a citation or booking and release. That could pose a problem. If every officer seeks jail after arrest for every suspect, and every magistrate gives the police the benefit of the doubt, the new program will fail. Jails could refill with people accused of low-level crimes that the court already decided don’t warrant incarceration before arraignment.”
Oct. 3, 2023 – L.A. County bails on traditional cash bail. Kaleef Starks, USC Annenberg Media. “Janet Asante is a criminal justice reform activist for Justice L.A. who attended the hearing in support of L.A. Civil Rights Corps and Public Justice, a non-profit legal advocacy organization in L.A. This case was “a historic preliminary injunction” according to a Public Justice Press Release. Asante shared that representatives of the twelve cities in L.A. County were “not present and declined to provide comment” during the hearing, as Judge Lawrence Riff offered defendants the space to push back against the Zero Bail policy. She feels that the cash bail system “essentially criminalizes poverty.”
“I was present in the courtroom during the civil case,” said Asante. “There were several opportunities where the judge specifically asked for these law enforcement groups to come in and advocate for whatever their objections are — they declined at every step along the way. They don’t actually care, but they have a vested interest in fear mongering and further backsliding us into more close races.”
Oct. 3, 2023 – Zero-Bail Takes Effect in L.A. County. What Will the Impact Be on Cities?
California City News
Oct. 2, 2023 – ‘Cash bail doesn’t make us any safer,’ says DA Gascón. – KNX In Depth’s Rob Archer and Elsa Ramon/ KRTH 101. “L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón told KNX In Depth’s Rob Archer and Elsa Ramon the new policy is a step forward because the old system of cash bail wasn’t working.”
Oct. 2, 2023 – Police Delay Some Automatic Releases As LA No Cash Bail Policy Begins. Eric Leonard, NBC Los Angeles.
Oct. 2, 2023 – Zero-bail policy takes effect in Los Angeles County, ending traditional cash system. KABC7. “This change just applies to a tiny segment of the pretrial system,” says Jeff Stein from Civil Rights Corps.”It’s just about that window between when a person is arrested and when they see a judge in LA. That can last up to five days.”
Oct. 1, 2023 – Controversial zero bail policy goes into effect for Los Angeles County despite kickback. (YouTube) Laurie Perez, KCAL.
Oct. 1, 2023 – Cash Bail Ends For Most Low-Level Arrests In LA County. LAist, Julia Paskin. “People are being arrested and then they’ll stay in jail for days, weeks, months if they’re poor because they can’t afford bail,” said Christine Scott-Hayward, professor and director of the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Emergency Management at Cal State Long Beach. “If they’re wealthy, they can get out, so this is a reaction to that inequitable system….There’s no evidence that crime rates go up when you reduce the use of cash bail….I think there’s a perception and it’s unfortunately not a correct perception, that individuals need some sort of financial incentive if they’re going to show up to court. But there’s no evidence to support that.”
Sept. 30, 2023 – Newsletter: Cash bail is ending in L.A. County. We help you understand why that’s a good thing. Paul Thornton, LA Times. “A great way to understand why we’re here and why these changes deserve the public’s confidence is to read the editorial board’s series on bail reform.”
Sept. 30, 2023 – Should Money Decide Who is Kept in Jail? More Locations Are Saying No.
Los Angeles and Illinois are the latest jurisdictions to change their cash bail system.
By JAMILES LARTEY The Marshall Project’s Closing Argument newsletter, Expert testimony, presented to the court that initiated the change, notes that studies have tended to find the opposite. One witness told the court that the current system is surprisingly criminogenic — “that is, secured money bail causes more crime than would be the case were the money bail schedules no longer enforced.”
Sept. 29, 2023 – LA County’s new zero-cash bail system set to take effect. ABC7.
Sept. 29, 2023 – Southland cities seek court order to block LA County’s zero bail plan. City News Service, LA Daily News.
Sept. 29, 2023 – Despite Opposition to Proposition, California Supreme Court Ruled Against System. Dolores Quintana, WestsideToday.com.
Sept. 29, 2023 – Editorial: The research is clear. Money bail doesn’t make communities safer. Los Angeles Times. “The evidence pushed in a single direction: Eliminating money bail did not increase either failures to appear or rearrests. In fact, it showed that both court appearances and public safety improved.”
Sept. 28 – Low-level offenders will soon not have to post cash bail in LA County. Karma Dickerson, KNBC4. “Despite some misgivings, low-level, non-violent offenders will not have to post cash bail to be released from jail in Los Angeles County, a policy that advocates say reverses years of criminalizing poverty.”
Sept. 28, 2023 – Bail, bonds and a big conversation. CJ Haddad, Daily Trojan. “Los Angeles’ new zero bail policy is sparking heated debate across the city.”
Sept. 28, 2023 – Editorial: Leaders aren’t leading on L.A. bail reform. Los Angeles Times. “What L.A. needs now, as the court’s new pre-arraignment release program begins Sunday, is for local leaders to proudly stand behind bail reform, speak out against the fear-mongering by police and the bail bond industry, spotlight the studies that overwhelmingly show communities are safer without money bail, cheer on the Superior Court program and offer helpful suggestions for improving it.”
Sept. 27, 2023 – LA County’s no cash bail policy takes effect. City News Service via Fox11/LA. “The Judicial Council of California also released a recent report finding that a risk-based zero-bail system actually led to increased public safety, with a 5.8% drop in people being rearrested for misdemeanors and a 2.4% decrease in people being rearrested for felonies.”
Sept. 27, 2023 – LAPD chief expresses concern about ‘book and release’ plan under new zero bail policy. Tony Kurzweil, KTLA.
Sept 27, 2023 – Editorial: Voters said no to ending money bail in 2020. Why is L.A. County doing it anyway? “The same political dynamic that stopped bail reform three years ago exists to some extent today. The bail industry and law enforcement are unhappy with the L.A. County Superior Court program for releasing too many people without bail, because it cuts into their profits. Reform advocates are skeptical because the county program retains money bail and pretrial incarceration for many people accused of more serious crimes. Some also argue that there remain too many unanswered questions about the services and supervision that will be provided to people who are freed before arraignment.”
Sept. 25, 2023 – Editorial: Chief Moore and other bail reform critics are wrong. Cash bail should not be a form of punishment. Los Angeles Times. “Testifying in August in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of money bail, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said the value of this system is to show the public that “there’s consequences for going out and committing serious offenses, felony offenses. And that those consequences are that you face the risk of being incarcerated and punished.”
Read more: Ending Cash Bail
Sept. 24, 2023 – Editorial: Goodbye to cash bail. L.A. is moving to a better approach to pretrial justice. Los Angeles Times. “This new set of procedures was announced by the Los Angeles Superior Court on July 18 and has been modified over the following weeks. It comes at a time of high-profile retail thefts and brazen robberies in L.A., which police, prosecutors, some elected officials and pundits wrongly blame on existing so-called zero-bail policies.” (Picked up by Manhattan Mercury in Kansas on Sept, 26, 2023)
Sept. 24, 2023 – Editorial: You think you know what bail is? You’re probably wrong. Los Angeles Times.
Sept. 14, 2023 – New rules eliminate cash bail for most suspects starting in October. Matthew Hall, Santa Monica Daily Press. “Not all crimes are eligible for release.”
Sept. 2, 2023 – Opinion: As judges, we’ve made thousands of bail decisions. Here’s the truth about detention and public safety. Brett R. Alldredge, J. Richard Couzens, and Sherrill A. Ellsworth; LA Times.
Aug. 25, 2023 – Los Angeles County returns to zero bail. Michelle Rivas, USC Daily Trojan.
August 13, 2023 – Eyewitness Newsmakers: LAPD chief says zero-bail policy sets unequal stage for law enforcement, Marc Brown and Alan Gitterman, ABC7
August 8, 2023 – LAPD Chief Moore, LA County Sheriff Luna appear in court to discuss zero-bail policies, Carlos Granda, ABC 7
August 7, 2023 – LAPD chief, sheriff testify against zero bail, Hillel Aron, Courthouse News
August 3, 2023 – Los Angeles County Superior Court Overhauls Cash Bail System , Nat Cohen, KNOCKLA
August 1, 2023 – California class action over prearraignment cash bail advances, Hillel Aron, Courthouse News
July 31, 2023 – Santa Clara County blasted for jailing people who cannot post bail, Natalie Hanson, Courthouse News
July 28, 2023 – LA Courts to Permit Release of Nonviolent Arrestees Without Paid Bail Starting October 1st, Keemia Zhang, Santa Monica Mirror
July 27, 2028 – Professor joins lawsuit to end cash bail in Los Angeles, Courtney McLain, Campus Reform (A Project of the Leadership Institute, a conservative watchdog on education, picked up from the LA Blade commentary)
JULY 26, 2023 – Editorial: L.A.’s bail reform is an improvement, but falls short of what Illinois has done, Los Angeles Times Editorial Board
July 21, 2023 – Editorial: 50 Cent and prosecutors are wrong about cash bail. L.A. courts get it right, Los Angeles Times Editorial.
July 19, 2023 – L.A. County Superior Court won’t require cash bail for many offenses, Cindy Von Quednow, KTLA
July 19, 2023 – LA Will End Most Pre-Trial Detention, Amid US Push to Abolish Cash Bail, Rafik Nader Wahbi and Nicholas Shapiro, Filtermag.org
July 14, 2023 – Commentary: Cash Bail is a violation of our humanity, Los Angeles Blade.
July 14, 2023 – Cash Bail is a violation of our humanity, Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, Los Angeles Blade
June 28, 2023 – HOW LA COUNTY’S ZERO-BAIL RULES CAN HELP OTHERS LIKE ME, Angel Lopez, The Appeal
June 1, 2023 – Eyewitness to History at LA’s Cash Bail Hearings. Karen Ocamb, Medium/Public Justice. “My epiphany comes when (Public Justice attorney) Brian Hardingham questions expert Dr. Christine Scott-Hayward about different studies.”
May 31, 2023 – Post shows list of exceptions to LA’s zero bail policy, not qualifying crimes | Fact check. Hannah Hudnall, USA Today. “ A May 24 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a list of crimes, including human trafficking and sexual battery….Our Rating: False. The crimes listed in the post are the opposite of what the user claims – they are exceptions to Los Angeles’ zero bail policy.”
May 30, 2023 – More arrestees will stay local, or be released, under new zero-bail rules. Matthew Hall, Santa Monica Daily Press.
May 26, 2023 – Los Angeles County returns to $0 bail for non-serious, non-violent crimes. Kate Cagle, Spectrum News 1. “Los Angeles County returned to its COVID-era Emergency Bail Schedule Wednesday, after a Superior Court judge ruled its cash bail system unconstitutional. The injunction by Judge Lawrence Riff means cash bail for non-violent, non-serious felonies is now $0.” (Story, plus 4:36 video)
May 26, 2023 – Social media post misleads with Los Angeles County list of ‘zero-bail’ policy exceptions. Loreben Tuquero, Politifact.com.
May 24, 2023 – Zero-bail policy back in effect, LA city and county can no longer jail arrestees before arraignment. ABC7 staff.
May 24, 2023 – Zero-bail policy back in effect for LA County. KCAL News.
May 24, 2023 – Zero-bail policy reinstated for LA County. Gina Silva and FOX 11 Digital Team. “’The current system is not based on whether you’re dangerous, on whether you’re a flight risk, on one, whether there’s really any need at all for you to be in jail. It’s just based on how much money you can pay. That’s not fair. It makes no sense,’ (Civil rights attorney Salil) Dudani said.”
May 24, 2023 – LASD, LAPD Develop New Custody Bail Procedure. RandomLengthsNews.com.
