Central Valley-based Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward is calling on constituents to put pressure on Gov. Gavin Newsom and request a veto of bills currently under consideration in the Legislature related to criminal justice reform.
“Senate Bill 81 and Senate Bill 94 are of particular importance to those who have experienced victimization by violent crime,” Mr. Ward wrote in a press release Aug. 25. “Both of these bills concern the potential early release of serious offenders through reduced parole criteria.”
The district attorney is requesting support from residents across the Golden State as crime, drug abuse, mental illness, and homelessness are taking a toll on communities, many say.
“Right now, our lawmakers in Sacramento are refusing to help our victims of human trafficking, they’re refusing to protect our kids that are being poisoned by fentanyl, and they’re refusing to take action to help our schools and our students against school threats,” Mr. Ward said in a video posted to Instagram also Aug. 25. “Yet it appears they’re on a path to approve two new laws that make it easier for murderers to be released early.”
While lining out the criminal justice issues facing the state, Mr. Ward urged voters to vocalize their complaints and speak up for the numerous victims who are unable to do so.
“SB 94 goes so far as to say murderers sentenced to life without the possibility of parole can somehow now be released,” he said in the video. “Collectively, let’s ask Gov. Newsom to show some leadership, take a stance, and say that victims’ voices matter and to veto any of these early release bills that they pass.”
Proponents of the bills suggest that criminal justice reform is a necessary component of legislative action and stress that no releases are automatically granted by the proposal.
“This bill does not guarantee resentencing or release,” supporters wrote in the Senate Appropriations Committee’s analysis of the bill. “Any individual who is granted resentencing by a judge will then need to go before the parole board, who will make a determination about their suitability for release.”
Questions abound about the future of the proposals, as the measures are currently held in suspense file—a process where bills with fiscal impact to the state of at least $50,000 are decided in quick succession, this year on Sept. 1—along with a number of other bills related to child sex trafficking, fentanyl distribution, and violent crime.
With hotly contested bills awaiting their fate, stakeholders are jockeying for position with constituents and lawmakers, and some are preparing ballot initiatives for 2024 in case their desired legislation fails to pass, according to officials.
