The California State Assembly passed legislation abolishing the money bail system, which many consider an important step in reforming the state’s criminal justice system.
SB 10, the California Money Reform Bail Act, is going back to the State Senate after a 47-31 vote from the assembly on Monday. The State Senate will decide whether to send the bill to Gov. Jerry Brown for final approval.
State Sen. Bob Hetzberg (D-Van Nuys) and Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), together with other lawmakers, introduced the bill.
In a statement, Hertzberg commented, “Eliminating wealth as a determination in pretrial detention would be a groundbreaking first step in making our criminal justice system fairer and safer.”
In addition, he said the state legislature will “continue to examine bail reform.” It will also keep strengthening SB 10’s data collection and reporting requirements to evaluate its progress.
Bonta said, “Today’s vote is a clear victory for justice, fairness and safety. We are now a giant step closer to becoming the first state in the nation to abolish the fundamentally broken for-profit, predatory money bail system.”
