The court-mandated reform effort began as part of a 2003 settlement in a federal civil-rights lawsuit rooted in an infamous Oakland police misconduct case known as the Riders scandal. As part of the negotiated settlement agreement — known locally as the NSA — the city agreed to implement dozens of reforms intended to overhaul the department’s accountability mechanisms, reduce racial disparities in policing and curb officer misconduct.

(Subscription required) Language in SB 873 says federal immigration agents who conduct civil arrests in courtrooms are liable for false imprisonment damages of up to $10,000, unless they have a judicial warrant.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has returned approximately 650,000 ballots and election materials to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters following a unanimous California Supreme Court ruling ordering the materials returned.

The Court of Appeal for this district, in a case that harks to a fatal accident in 2016 and spawned a 2023 California Supreme Court opinion, has affirmed a 2024 summary judgment in favor of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, holding that a failure to warn of a danger defeats the defense of design immunity only if there is a complete absence of a cautioning.