In Calaveras County, California, a petition featuring nearly 600,000 signatures was submitted recently. The goal? To repeal the recently-enacted bail reform that has the state in an uproar. Senate Bill 10, discussed at length in the media generally and within this site specifically, has been a topic of debate in the months since it passed.
More Signatures Than Needed
Californians Against the Reckless Bail Scheme is the group behind the initiative, and had just 90 days from the data of passage of SB10 to collect 365,880 signatures from registered voters to try to stop the law going into effect in October, 2019. The sponsor of the coalition, the American Bail Coalition, noted via spokesperson Jeff Clayton:
“Today, I am announcing ABC’s support for the ballot initiative to reverse Senate Bill 10. This misguided legislation is opposed by scores of various interest groups on all sides of the aisle. When this legislation was hijacked at the eleventh hour, we knew that we would not let this stand. We are building a substantial wall that will hopefully prevent this reckless legislation from ever becoming law.”
Clayton noted that his group is more than willing to compromise on the issue of bail reform, but it doesn’t seem like that same spirit is in place from the opposition, which appears to militantly oppose anything other than an all-out reform measure that eliminates cash bail altogether.