![]() attorneys, who have no election campaigns to run. It’s tempting to look for decision-makers completely aloof from politics, like, say, U.S. ![]() But Bonta was likely to run for the job anyway, and in any event he is now deep in election mode as he campaigns for election next year in hopes of landing a full term.īut as a statewide official, the attorney general is not so directly tied into the local political or police establishment, in Riverside County or anywhere else. Gavin Newsom, filling the vacancy left by the departure of Xavier Becerra for a Cabinet post in President Biden’s administration. Bonta was appointed to the office by Gov. ![]() The answer is imperfect because attorneys general are indeed somewhat beholden to police. Sanchez fired 10 shots, killing Kenneth French and injuring his parents.īonta’s action is a step in the right direction, even as it raises a number of questions about the criminal justice process and its ability to hold police accountable free from political influence.įor example, if we can’t rely on district attorneys because they are too enmeshed in politics and too reliant on police union money, why are we better off with the attorney general - who is also an elected official and also relies on campaign donations from police? It took effect July 1, only a few months after Rob Bonta was appointed California attorney general.īonta on Monday used his powers to file manslaughter charges against Salvador Sanchez, who was an off-duty Los Angeles police officer when he shot and killed a mentally disabled man inside a crowded Costco in the Riverside County city of Corona in 2019. A modified version of that idea took shape last year as Assembly Bill 1506, which passed and was signed into law. One answer was to turn the prosecution of cops accused of unlawful deadly force over to someone else, like the state attorney general. They relied too much on police department cooperation during criminal investigations and police union money at election time to risk that relationship. It’s not too late to get your flu shot! While the influenza vaccine does not protect against COVID-19 infection, it can help keep you healthy during the flu season.Reports on the too-cozy ties between local district attorneys and local police began piling up over the last decade, and they all generally found that elected prosecutors rarely prosecute police for killing unarmed civilians.
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