A controversial bill designed to allow California judges to consider race when sentencing offenders is winding its way through the legislative process, having passed the Assembly with no Republican support and some Democrats abstaining from the vote.
Assembly Bill 852, a succinct proposal comprised of two sentences and authored by Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), builds on the recommendations provided by the state’s reparations task force—which recently presented its findings to the governor and Legislature in a 1,100-page report, including guidance for cash payments and criminal justice reform.
