Today on AirTalk, we discuss Governor Gavin Newsom's plans to sign an executive order placing a moratorium on executions. We'll also examine a new California bill that would automatically clear nearly 8 million criminal convictions eligible for sealing; and more.
Beyond the symbolism, why is Governor Newsom ending the death penalty in CA?
The 737 inmates on California’s largest-in-the-nation death row are getting a reprieve from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who plans to sign an executive order Wednesday placing a moratorium on executions.
Newsom also is withdrawing the lethal injection regulations that death penalty opponents already have tied up in courts and shuttering the new execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison that has never been used.
California hasn’t executed anyone since 2006, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor. And though voters in 2016 narrowly approved a ballot measure to speed up the punishment, no condemned inmate faced imminent execution.
While the governor’s move is certain to be challenged in court, aides say his power to grant reprieves is written into the state Constitution and that he is not altering any convictions or allowing any condemned inmate a chance at an early release.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Dan Walters, long-time CA politics observer with CALmatters, a nonprofit public interest publication
Thad Kousser, department chair and professor of political science at University of California, San Diego
New CA bill could help former criminals seal their pasts
A Northern California lawmaker and district attorney announced Thursday a proposed law that would automatically clear some 8 million criminal convictions eligible for sealing but that remain public records.
Under the current system, offenders convicted of certain misdemeanors and low-level felonies, like property or drug crimes, can petition the court to have their criminal records sealed from public view. The bill is intended to help millions of Californians convicted of misdemeanors or lower-level felonies by automatically sealing those records in the hopes that it will create a clearer path to employment, housing, education and other opportunities that will help create stability in the hopes of preventing re-offense.
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón at a press conference in San Francisco with Asm. Ting said fewer than 20 percent of eligible cases are cleared and that most eligible offenders are unaware they can seal their criminal records and are "living in a paper prison."
Sex offenders and any offender who served time in prison are ineligible.
The bill introduced in the Assembly by Ting would require the state to automatically clear eligible convictions of offenders who served their sentences, including probation, and who otherwise stayed out trouble. The bill would also wipe-away many records of arrests that ended without criminal convictions.
Gascón said sealing eligible criminal records will help one-time, low-level offenders find jobs, housing and education that may be blocked by their convictions. Gascón says the proposed law would remain in law enforcement databases, but would bar access to background check agencies and the public in general.
As of the airing of this segment, there is no organized opposition to AB 1076. AirTalk reached out to several groups in the business community, but we were not able to find someone available or willing to go on the record for this interview.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
George Gascón, San Francisco district attorney; he tweets
The connection between the pursuit of prestige and the college admissions scandal
Fallout from a sweeping college admissions scandal swiftly spread Wednesday, with actress Lori Loughlin surrendering ahead of a Los Angeles court hearing and a Silicon Valley hedge fund replacing its leader.
Loughlin and fellow actress Felicity Huffman headline the list of some 50 people charged in documents unveiled in Boston that describe a scheme to cheat the admissions process at eight sought-after schools. The parents bribed college coaches and other insiders to get their children into selective schools, authorities said.
Loughlin turned herself in to the FBI on Wednesday morning and is scheduled for a court appearance in the afternoon, spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
Prosecutors allege Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, paid $500,000 to have their two daughters labeled as recruits to the University of Southern California crew team, even though neither is a rower. Giannulli was released Tuesday after posting a $1 million bond.
The scandal also ensnared movers and shakers in the corporate world. The Palo Alto, California, hedge fund Hercules Capital announced Wednesday it was replacing its leader, Manuel Henriquez, who was arrested in New York City on Tuesday and released on $500,000 bail. Shares of the hedge fund plunged 9 percent.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Danny Ruderman, independent college counselor based in Los Angeles, whose clientele includes A-list celebrities
Jon Reider, independent college consultant; former director of college counseling at San Francisco University High School, former admissions officer at Stanford University (1985 - 2000)
Here we go again: Despite second vote, Brexit deal ends in defeat
Britain's Parliament has dealt a major blow to Prime Minister Theresa May, resoundingly rejecting her Brexit deal just 17 days before the U.K. is due to leave the bloc.
Lawmakers voted by 391 to 242 against the deal, the second time they have defeated it.
The House of Commons threw out the agreement by an overwhelming majority in January, sending May back to the EU to seek changes.
On Monday, May said she had secured "legally binding" changes to allay lawmakers' fears - but it wasn't enough.
Lawmakers will now vote on whether to leave the EU without a deal on the scheduled date of March 29, or to ask the bloc to postpone Britain's departure.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Gary O'Donoghue, Washington correspondent and former chief political correspondent in London for the BBC; he tweets
Robots calling balls and strikes? MLB has inked a deal with an independent league to be a testing ground for rule changes
Imagine going to a baseball game where balls and strikes are tracked completely by computer instead of an umpire behind the plate.
While baseball purists will likely shudder at the thought of anything but a human umpiring a game, the reality is that professional baseball might not be too far-removed from a world where robot umps exist. Late last month, Major League Baseball and the independent Atlantic League announced a three-year deal to allow the Atlantic League to serve as a testing ground for proposed rule changes to professional baseball. The idea is that it would be impossible to get buy-in from players and organizations to test out these rule changes in any MLB-affiliated minor or developmental league. However, many players in the Atlantic League are MLB veterans and will give league officials the opportunity to test these rules out on seasoned baseball players.
Last week, MLB detailed six specific rule changes would be implemented, including a computer-assisted strike zone, shorter times between innings, and curbing mound visits by players other than for pitching changes or injury replacement. Halfway through the season, at the all-star break, the Atlantic League will implement a seventh rule change that will move the pitcher’s mound back two feet to a 62-foot, 6-inch distance from home plate.
What do you think about the potential for some of these rule changes to be implemented in professional baseball? Do you like the idea of an independent baseball league serving as a training ground for proposed rule changes for the pros? What rule changes would you like to see tested out in the Atlantic League?
Guest:
Tim Kurkjian, baseball analyst for ESPN's Baseball Tonight, Monday Night Baseball and ESPN.com, and author of several books including "I'm Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies: Inside the Game We All Love" (St. Martin's Griffin, 2016); he tweets