According to The Los Angeles Times: After the passing of Senate Bill 10 in California by ex-Governor Jerry Brown last year, the state prepared for an overhaul of the cash bail system. However, the bail industry, armed with over 400,000 signatures, passed a referendum forcing the bill to be put on hold until after November elections in 2020. Well, it’s now 2020, and efforts to defeat Senate Bill 10 are fully underway. If you’d like to help keep cash bail in California, then you can do so at the voting booth this November. Get out there and let your voice be heard! That said, if you’re having a hard time deciding which way to vote regarding cash bail, then let this post help lay out what’s going on with Senate Bill 10.
The Bail Industry Has Fought Senate Bill 10 Since the Beginning
Almost the entirety of the bail industry in California is opposed to Senate Bill 10 since its inception. Some of the points the industry has risen to combat the removal of the cash bail system include:
- Violent offenders potentially being released to the general public
- The complete decimation of a $2 Billion dollars-a-year industry
- A loss of thousands of jobs across the state
This referendum started the very same day that Jerry Brown passed Senate Bill 10. In fact, within the first three months of the passing of the bill, the coalition managed to raise more than $3 million and obtained more than enough signatures to qualify the measure.
What Will Result from this Referendum?
Since this referendum officially delayed Senate Bill 10 from becoming law until 2020, bail companies will be able to continue to run their businesses as usual until then.
California state lawmakers and government officials remain confident that Senate Bill 10 will become the “law of the land,” regardless of what kinds of disruptions that it could bring with it. One of these officials, Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), has stated:
“We know that private equity firms poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into this campaign — not to protect public safety, or decrease the number of innocent people in jail, but to protect their bottom line” – Sen. Bob Hertzberg
Not All Experts are On Board with Senate Bill 10
However, not all experts agree with Senate Bill 10. Some oppose the bill but are all for bail reform. They don’t believe that Senate Bill 10 will accomplish the reformation fairly and reasonably.
“We will not be joining the bail industry’s efforts, but we are not fighting for SB 10. We have a different vision of how to reform the pretrial detention system.” – Human Rights Watch senior researcher John Raphling
Here at Bad Boys Bail Bonds, we’re big supporters of this referendum. For the sake of the safety and wellbeing of our community, please help us in our goal to maintain the current cash bail system in California.
