Justice Reform Bill By Peninsula State Sen. Signed By Gov. Newsom

SAN MATEO, CA — A bill intended to create more equitable sentencing in California’s criminal justice system was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week.

Senate Bill 775, authored by Peninsula state Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park), allows a person convicted of murder, attempted murder or manslaughter but whose conviction is not final to appeal for resentencing.

It follows Senate Bill 1437, passed in 2018, which allowed a person who was charged with murder but did not aid or abet the murder to petition for resentencing. Previously under state law, anyone who committed a crime could be charged with murder, even if another person caused the death.

In a news release, Becker said that while SB 1437 created a path for those who took plea deals to lesser charges like manslaughter to petition for resentencing, some courts have applied it to a limited scope only for those who have been convicted of murder.

SB 775 clarifies SB 1437 to explicitly apply the law for those convicted of voluntary manslaughter or attempted murder.

“My SB 775 closes an unjust loophole and brings greater fairness to our criminal justice system,” Becker said.

The California Public Defenders Association said in a letter to Newsom that “this simple reform would assist hundreds of incarcerated people who have been excluded by the appellate courts’ technical interpretation of SB 1437, and the thousands of similar people who did not file petitions yet because of those rulings.”

SB 775 was among a slew of bills that the governor signed this week.