Div. One of this district’s Court of Appeal has held that resentencing initiated under the catchall provision allowing for reconsideration of a term of imprisonment based on any legislative changes need not result in a “meaningful modification” of the sentence, rejecting the defendant’s assertion that a trial judge abused his discretion in reducing his sentence from 369 to 225 years to life in prison because the reduction does not carry any practical weight. 

On New Year’s Day, a government website opened to let Californians demand that more than 500 intermediaries called data brokers wipe their personal information from the data on sale and regularly repeat those deletions in the future.

AB 1071 provides three much-needed fixes to the Racial Justice Act (RJA), improving access to counsel, information, and remedies. Starting in January, courts must appoint an attorney to anyone unable to afford one who wishes to bring an RJA claim. AB 1071 also ensures people can obtain the evidence necessary to prove discrimination, closing an information gap that set many up to fail. Finally, the bill reaffirms that courts must impose remedies when racial bias is proven, and that judges must have the flexibility to match remedies to the harm.

Senate Bill 27, which took effect in 2026, will expand the CARE Act to include individuals with bipolar I disorder with psychotic features. The bill also allows nurse practitioners and physician assistants to sign mental health declarations, thereby increasing provider capacity.