CSSA Magazine Article- Confidentiality of Peace Officer Personnel Files Under Attack
“CONFIDENTIALITY OF PEACE OFFICER PERSONNEL FILES UNDER ATTACK” April, 2006 By: Martin J. Mayer General Counsel California State Sheriffs’ Association The law in the State of California explicitly states that peace officer personnel records and information contained therein are confidential. Government Code §832.7 has, for years, mandated confidentiality of personnel records of law enforcement officers. […]
Vol. 21 No. 6- Term Limits For District Attorneys And Assessors Declared Unconstitutional
TERM LIMITS FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEYS AND ASSESSORS DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL March 16, 2006 On March 14, 2006 Superior Court Judge Soussan G. Bruguera granted a motion filed on behalf of Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley and County Assessor Rick Auerbach, to declare a county ordinance, which set term limits for their offices, unconstitutional. The […]
Vol. 20 No. 14- MARIJUANA AND THE CHP
MARIJUANA AND THE CHP August 31, 2005 As most of you are probably aware, last week the California Highway Patrol issued an updated medical marijuana policy to all CHP officers. The new policy states that, when making a traffic stop, no enforcement action shall be taken against an individual who is in possession of marijuana, […]
Vol. 20 No. 13- Vehicle Code Section 22658 – Tillison v. San Diego
VEHICLE CODE SECTION 22658 – TILLISON v. SAN DIEGO June 30, 2005 On May 9, 2005, the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion inTillison v. City of San Diego, 406 F. 3d 1126 (2005), in which it upheld the validity of California Vehicle Code section 22658(1). John Tillison, dba […]
Vol. 20 No. 11- U.S. Supreme Court Denies Review in Smith v. Hemet
U.S. SUPREME COURT DENIES REVIEW IN SMITH v. HEMET June 22, 2005 On June 20, 2005 the U.S. Supreme Court denied the City of Hemet ‘s request for the Court to grant certiorari (review) in the case of Smith v. Hemet. Previously, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, sitting en banc , ruled that […]
Vol. 20 No. 10- Medical Marijuana Sample Ordinances
MEDICAL MARIJUANA SAMPLE ORDINANCES June 15, 2005 Last week we sent out a Client Alert Memo regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decision on California ‘s medical marijuana law. Since then, we have been asked to provide samples of ordinances which regulate or prohibit the opening of medical marijuana dispensaries in a jurisdiction. Therefore, we are […]
Vol. 20 No. 9 California Medical Marijuana Law “Trumped” By The Federal Law
CALIFORNIA MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW “TRUMPED” BY THE FEDERAL LAW June 9, 2005 On Monday, June 6, 2005 the United States Supreme Court, in the case of Gonzalez v. Raich, ruled that California ‘s law allowing marijuana to be used for medical purposes violates the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause. The Commerce Clause gives the federal government […]
Vol. 20 No. 8 – “Pitchess” Discovery Made Easier
“PITCHESS” DISCOVERY MADE EASIER June 6, 2005 Last Thursday, June 2, 2005, the California Supreme Court, in a 5-2 decision, made it easier for criminal defendants to access personnel files of peace officers. In the case of Warrick v. Superior Court (City of Los Angeles Police Department), 2005 DJDAR 6347, the Court reiterated that a defendant […]
Vol. 20 No. 7- Peace Officer Personnel Records Still Confidential
PEACE OFFICER PERSONNEL RECORDS STILL CONFIDENTIAL April 11, 2005 On April 7, 2005, the California Court of Appeal (Third Appellate District) ruled, in the case ofCalifornia Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) v. Superior Court (L.A. Times), that data provided to POST by law enforcement agencies, regarding whether an officer is hired, promoted […]
Vol. 20 No. 5- Smith V. City Of Hemet, Et Al.
SMITH V. CITY OF HEMET, ET AL. Febuary 4, 2005 CURRENT STATUS You will recall from our earlier Client Alert (Vol 20 No. 3; January 21, 2005) that on January 10, 2005, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, sitting en banc, ruled that Smith’s guilty plea to the criminal charge of Penal Code §148 […]