Los Angles, CA – Today, 576,745 signatures were submitted as part of the referendum effort to overturn Senate Bill 10 (SB10) in California, the dangerous “bail reform” legislation passed during the 2018 session.
The coalition consists of public safety leaders, criminal justice reformers, crime victims’ advocates, concerned citizens and bail industry leaders, was formed to put the fate of SB10 in the voters hands.
“This is a reckless attempt to reform the states’ bail system. Not only does SB 10 threaten the safety of all California citizens and potentially trammels the rights of those accused of crimes, but it ultimately brought together the vast majority of organizations on the bail reform spectrum to voice opposition to the final bill language which was passed. SB 10 is the perfect example of last minute deal making by the Governor, the legislature and labor unions absent input from all stakeholders.” – Jeff Clayton, Executive Director of the American Bail Coalition.
Californians Against the Reckless Bail Scheme, the coalition that formed the referendum, issued the following statement today…
Coalition to Stop SB 10 Submits Nearly 600,000 Signatures to Overturn Flawed Bail Legislation
LOS ANGELES, Calif., Nov. 20, 2018 — Proponents of the referendum campaign to overturn SB 10, the dangerous and flawed “bail reform” legislation, submitted 576,745 signatures statewide to qualify the measure for the November 2020 ballot.
The coalition consists of public safety leaders, criminal justice reformers, crime victims’ advocates, concerned citizens and bail industry leaders. The campaign aims to show voters that this new law is unjust and replaces California’s current bail system with a dangerous and untested scheme that would make the state less safe, while increasing the numbers of those unfairly incarcerated.
“This is a reckless attempt to reform the states’ bail system,” said Jeff Clayton, spokesperson for the coalition. “Not only does SB 10 threaten the safety of all California citizens and potentially trammels the rights of those accused of crimes, but it ultimately brought together the vast majority of organizations on the bail reform spectrum to voice opposition to the final bill language which was passed. SB 10 is the perfect example of last minute deal making by the Governor, the legislature and labor unions absent input from all stakeholders.”
Law enforcement and traditional public safety advocates opposed the bill because they believe it endangers the state of California. In addition, most of the members of the bail reform movement who originally championed the bill dropped their support and opposed the final version of SB 10 because they believe the new system will be worse than the present.
“The current system could use some meaningful reform, which is something the bail industry has never argued against,” said Cesar E. McGuire, Director of Bail Hotline Bail Bonds and member of the coalition. “Bail does provide an important judicial option for the pretrial release of defendants that comes with accountability, no cost to the taxpayers and a sensitivity to public safety and safe generic drugs.”
SB 10 has no provision to ensure Defendants appear in court and will cost billions. SB 10 mandates that every county have a system to book, make a criminal risk assessment and decide whether to detain or release every person accused of a misdemeanor in 12 hours. Many believe this could result in greater unfair incarceration that is racially biased, while also endangering public safety and forcing local law enforcement to devote substantial resources to track down those who don’t show up for court.
The coalition had 90 days from the date the Governor signed the bill in August to collect 365,880 valid signatures from registered voters in California – they gathered nearly 600,000 in 70 days.
If successful, the measure will appear before the voters in November 2020, and the new law would be halted from taking effect until the voters weigh in on it.
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