Democratic Party

The Governator has put his signature on a bunch of bills recently, including a new bill that requires ammo suppliers to store info from buyers. Ammunition sellers must track thumbprints, signatures, and driver’s license information.

In addition to the recording requirements, the bill also does away with all mail-order and sales made over the internet. All sales under the new bill must be performed in the presence of the seller.

The governor’s signature reverses his earlier position.

“Although I have previously vetoed legislation similar to this measure, local governments have demonstrated that requiring ammunition vendors to keep records on ammunition sales improves public safety,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

The head of Gun Owners of California said the law, which takes effect in 2011, will treat gun owners “like registered sex offenders,” the Los Angeles Times writes.

“We think it was a devastating mistake,” said Sam Paredes, executive director of the group, which represents 30,000 gun owners. In a separate statement, the group elaborates.

Despite signing this bill, the governor has also vetoed bills that would require additional signatures when buying a gun. Additionally, he vetoed a bill that would have put limits on the locations for gun shows.

Here are some other measures Schwarzenegger signed into law:

Out of state, pre-banned same-sex marriages will be recognized in California.

Prior to getting cosmetic surgery, patients will now have to have a physical examination. This bill, known informally as the Donda West Bill, follows the death of Kanye West’s mother from complications surrounding her cosmetic surgery procedure.

Photographers are now subject to penalties of up to fifty-thousand dollars for taking or dissemination of photos of the rich and famous during personal activities.

People running for office may not pay spouses for working on the candidates campaign.

May 22 was proclaimed Harvey Milk Day, recognizing the birthday of the slain gay rights activist and San Francisco city supervisor.

Finally, the governor is encouraging law-makers to revamp the state’s tax code which he considers completely outdated and not able to keep up with our information based society.

News, resources, and information regarding criminal law in the state of California. When you are facing charges for a crime, talk with a sponsoring California criminal lawyer near you today. The most practical way to protect your rights is by sharing your circumstances with a California criminal lawyer.

You might be surprised to hear it, but juveniles in the California juvenile justice system has decreased by almost seven thousand youths. Both youth (and adult) fire crews have helped save the state from around $80 million in the fight against wildfires. Also, the recidivism rate for adult inmates in California is only around 60%.

The California Dept. of Corrections has published “Corrections-Moving Forward”. This new publication reflects these facts and much more related to the climate of corrections in the state of California.

This publication includes a statistical update on everything from inmate population trends to return-to-custody statistics; from the impact of the three strikes inmates to a look at CDCR’s entire budget and a summary of the department’s 2008-09 accomplishments.

“Transparency in government begins with making information available to as many people as possible,” said CDCR Secretary Matthew Cate. “Through the Internet, our collection of data bases and Office of Research, we have worked hard to keep statistics on offender population and programs current and accessible.

Corrections – Moving Forward collects key facts from our expansive correctional system into one comprehensive report. As we face the challenges ahead, using current data to reflect on our population demographics will be crucial. We hope you find this new resource helpful in learning more about our agency.”

This publication has been designed to provide a general overview of significant challenges of California’s biggest governmental unit. Information is divided by gender, and age in some cases, so that trends facing specific populations can be explored. Information was provided by the Office of Research, CDCR Budget Office, the Division of Juvenile Justice Research branch, Division of Adult Institutions, and Division of Adult Programs.

This report was produced and printed entirely by CDCR staff to minimize cost while providing much needed information for legislative members, department staff, journalists and others interested in an accurate statistical picture of CDCR’s issues and challenges.

Get the latest info, information, and tools regarding California criminal law. Speak with a California criminal lawyer who can assist you today. Read about how talking with a California criminal lawyer benefits you.

In 2005, the California Criminal Intel Bureau reported the following Executive Summary regarding crimes committed by gangs and terrorists. This report is compiled in order to predict and stop these types of illegal criminal enterprises. Here are some of the trending behaviors the report found:

Many communities have been experiencing a reduction in gang activity as a result of gang injunctions. These efforts have reduced various gang-related activities and made some California communities safer from the dangers of gang violence.

While violent activity between gangs has been part of their history, in 2005 there was a marked redirection of violence toward law enforcement. Tragically, this re-focusing resulted in the deaths of more than 10 California law enforcement officers.

A governmental anti-gang initiative known as Community Shield, has been active in targeting MS-13 members (which is a Sureno gang). Several MS-13 members have been arrested relating to various crimes both violent and non-violent. Some of these include: narcotics offenses, grand theft auto, and various violations relating to paroled individuals.

Authorities note that many Asian gang members suspected of serious crimes flee to other states to elude capture.

The raketeer influenced corrupt orgs. Act, informally referred to as RICO, has led to many convictions for criminal conspiracies. RICO has been especially successful in getting convictions of outlaw motorcycle gangs. Convictions for murders, drug dealing, and other criminal enterprises have been obtain through continued use of RICO.

California has not suffered an attack by al-Qaeda. Authorities successfully prevented plots in 2000 and 2002 aimed at Los Angeles. It is believed that law enforcement initiatives specifically targeting this group have been largely successful in preventing their activities.

The United States prison system is the latest arena to experience an increase in terrorist organization. Recent investigations into these prison-system groups has heightened law enforcement’s awareness of these activities. These groups continue to grow and get more attention from U.S. law enforcement agencies.

Great article by Michael Hiltzik on LA Times today about tort reforms role as health cares circus sideshow. As Hiltzik puts it:

“Insurance companies love it because the less money they pay out to plaintiffs, the more they get to keep. Republicans love it because trial lawyers give three-quarters of their political donations to Democrats. And Democrats pay it lip service because theyre afraid to look like lawyer lovers.

Scapegoating medical liability as the reason for high health care costs is certainly nothing new. It just so happens that it is a convenient argument to make during debates on health care. “Frivolous lawsuits are causing this problem,” they shout. Are you surprised that the only people making these arguments are the ones who would benefit from not medical responsibility?

That facts according to Hiltzik are:

Liability for medical mistakes is estimated to contribute to no more than three percent of all U.S. health care spending. That means out of the over one-trillion dollars of annual health care costs, approx. fifty-billion dollars is comprised of malpractice litigation. In other words, even if we eliminated medical liability altogether, we would be in the exact same situation with health care.

The myth of medical liability being the main cause of health care costs has to end. We need to start focusing on the real problems and inefficiencies of the current system and stop chasing ghosts. Even if we got rid of medical liability in total, we would still be facing the same problems. Therefore, let’s shift the discussion to the real problems and stop filing in with the insurance lobby.

In fact, in places where tort reform has taken firm root, we have not seen a dramatic decrease in health care costs. Do you know what we have seen in those areas? Greater profitability for insurance companies. Even worse, people with legitimate personal injury and medical malpractice claims go without compensation.