Manhattan Beach Withdraws From Zero-Bail Lawsuit

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — The City of Manhattan Beach last week withdrew its participation in a lawsuit filed against the recently adopted zero-bail protocol in Los Angeles County.

The Manhattan Beach City Council directed staff to reallocate efforts to more effective public safety initiatives. The City joined the coalition of about 26 cities that chose to sue the County on Oct. 17.

“The decision to withdraw from the ‘zero-bail’ litigation reflects our dedication to continuously assess and improve our public safety policies, ensuring that our resources are consistently spent on the most effective and immediate efforts," said Mayor Joe Franklin. "While some progress was made in the ‘zero-bail’ case, it is clear that our community will have to combat crime through additional avenues, and we continue our steadfastness in those efforts.”

In October of 2023, police departments in the county were required to follow the new schedules that would have most suspects arrested for non-violent felonies and misdemeanors cited or booked and then released.

Under the new protocol, nearly all theft offenses, vehicle code violations, other property crimes like vandalism, and some serious crimes that are deemed non-violent are either cited or booked and released or referred to an on-call magistrate.

The magistrate has the discretion to determine the appropriate release terms and conditions. Capital offenses such as murder with special circumstances and limited felonies are not eligible for zero bail release.

The new release protocols replaced traditional bail schedules. For example, a person arrested for vehicle theft would have had a bail amount of $35,000 under the previous schedule. With the new
protocol, the person is eligible for Book and Release.

According to MBPD, offenses involving guns, sexual battery, crimes against children/elders and contact with minors with intent to commit a sexual offense are referred to magistrate review.

“Public safety is our number one priority in Manhattan Beach. Our commitment remains solidly grounded in a criminal justice system that safeguards our community,” Mayor Franklin said.