Kamala Harris

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June 21, 2011 | 10:55 AM | By

Could a death penalty ban succeed in California?

CDCR

Death Row

A much circulated study released yesterday found that California spends about $184 million a year on its policy of capital punishment. That means, from a cost-result perspective, that for each of the 13 executions completed since the death penalty was reinstated in 1978, California has spent $308 million. The study came not from an anti-death penalty group, but from U.S. 9th Circuit Judge Arthur L. Alarcon, a former prosecutor, and Loyola Law School professor Paula M. Mitchell.

The money issue in capital punishment has become a big one. Recently, Governor Jerry Brown halted a construction project that would have revamped and expanded death row at San Quentin State Prison, citing the project’s $365 million price tag.

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FILED UNDER: Capital Punishment, Politics, Jerry Brown, Kamala Harris, Lonnie Hancock
March 8, 2011 | 6:57 PM | By

Who’s fit to investigate the SFPD civil rights scandal?

SF Public Defender

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi

The San Francisco Police Department is facing its biggest scandal in years after Public Defender Jeff Adachi released videos last week that allegedly show plainclothes narcotics officers repeatedly busting into a SoMa residential hotel without a warrant. The recordings were captured by security cameras mounted inside the Henry Hotel at 106 Sixth Street.

Seemingly every day, a new video pops up. On Monday, Adachi released videos of a December 2 narcotics arrest. The Public Defender claims the 29-year-old man inside the targeted room was set up by officers and then charged with possession of cocaine. Charges were later dropped in this and thirteen additional cases following the release of the videos.  Additionally, thousands of cases involving eight officers from the Southern District’s plainclothes squad may be called into question because of the footage and what it purportedly depicts.

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FILED UNDER: Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, George Gascon, Kamala Harris, narcotics, San Francisco, San Francisco District Attorney, San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco Public Defender, scandal, Southern District
January 3, 2011 | 3:40 PM | By

Excerpts: Kamala Harris’ inauguration speech

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris, after beating out Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley by a slim margin, took office today as the new attorney general of California. Harris had campaigned as an innovator and reformer in contrast to Cooley’s more cop’s cop image. She, unlike many career prosecutors, often pointed to problems with the criminal justice system–prison overcrowding, the state’s high recidivism rate, and the number of low-level offenders who become increasingly serious criminals when they enter the system. In her inauguration speech today, Harris pointed to those issues as things she’ll focus on as attorney general. She also pledged to fight white collar crime, stand up for California’s environmental regulations, uphold the right for same-sex couples to wed, and investigate internet crimes. A couple of portions of the speech were particularly interesting.

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FILED UNDER: Politics, Attorney General of California, Gangs, Kamala Harris
November 3, 2010 | 4:17 PM | By

It’s going to be a Dewey moment for someone

Because Kamala Harris and Steve Cooley have each declared victory in the race for Attorney General in California, and just going out on a limb here, one of them is probably wrong. Last night around 11pm, Cooley gave a full-on victory speech at his election night party:

At the time, he had a slight lead over Harris. But by the time he woke up (if he went to bed at all), the precincts were all reporting in and Harris had taken the lead–a relatively slight one, 22,000 votes. Now, with some provisional and absentee ballots still uncounted, Harris has declared victory, saying the outstanding votes are likely to go her way. Harris, perhaps wisely, decided to declare the win in a press release and not on live (and endlessly replay-able) television. Cooley canceled his scheduled press conference this morning and headed to a thank-you event for donors: a $2,500 per person Kings-Lakers game with the either champ or defeated candidate.

UPDATE: Harris campaign says they’re not declaring victory… they’re just saying that Kamala Harris will be the next attorney general. I’ll not speculate as to the difference.

FILED UNDER: Politics, Elections, Kamala Harris, Steve Cooley
November 2, 2010 | 4:25 PM | By

Where the candidates stand on prison reform

As a recent Sacramento Bee editorial put forth, if you’re looking for a statewide candidate who embraces full-on prison reform in this election, you’re going to be disappointed. The candidates have mostly steered clear of making any promises or plans for changing the state’s overcrowded and heavily scrutinized prison system, or taking on the state’s high recidivism rate. Yet the candidates do display subtle differences.

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FILED UNDER: Politics, Elections, Jerry Brown, Kamala Harris, Meg Whitman, Steve Cooley
October 7, 2010 | 10:07 AM | By

On what powers the attorney general does and doesn’t have

“Cooley and Harris both know that California cannot possibly empty death row, unless capital punishment is abolished, which is unlikely, or the state were to figure out some way to persuade courts to rubber-stamp death penalty appeals. That’s even less likely, and no one should want that.”

- Dan Morain, opining that a candidate’s stance on the death penalty shouldn’t be a major factor in the race for attorney general. (Sacramento Bee)
FILED UNDER: Politics, Attorney General of California, Capital Punishment, Kamala Harris, Steve Cooley
October 5, 2010 | 2:50 PM | By

Attorney general debate: The innovater versus the cops’ cop

So far, we’ve seen a lot from the candidates for governor in the upcoming election. And we’ve seen possibly even more from the two major candidates for US senate. (The phrase “ad nauseam” comes to mind.) The race for attorney general has largely fallen to the back burner. Which made today’s debate at UC-Davis between Republican Steve Cooley and Democrat Kamala Harris, the two major candidates, a good opportunity for some insight into how the candidates see themselves–or at least, want to be seen by voters.

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FILED UNDER: Politics, Kamala Harris, Steve Cooley
September 30, 2010 | 9:09 AM | By

The Blotter: Thursday, September 30

Cooley scores endorsement from Officer Espinoza’s family Family of slain San Francisco officer says they can’t support Kamala Harris, who did not seek the death penalty for Espinoza’s killer. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Thief makes off with Vallejo’s lunch money Courrier truck carrying the Vallejo school district’s lunch funds is robbed. (The San Jose Mercury News)

Judge Vaughn Walker, of Prop 8 fame, will retire in February An appointee of the first President Bush, Walker will be replaced as Chief US District Judge by San Jose-based Judge James Ware. (Inside Bay Area)

Politics heads to court Celebrity attorney and Democratic donor Gloria Allred will represent Meg Whitman’s ex-housekeeper in lawsuit for back wages. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Schwarzenegger nixes bill aimed at cell phones in prison The Governor tells legislature to make cellphones in prison a felony, not a misdemeanor. (Contra Costa Times)

FILED UNDER: Courts, Police, Politics, Capital Punishment, Cell phones, Judge Vaughn Walker, Kamala Harris, Meg Whitman, Vallejo