On October 8, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom approved Assembly Bill 1600 (“AB 1600”) to amend California Evidence Code Sections 1043 and 1047 related to motions to discover peace officer or custodial officer personnel records, more commonly known as Pitchess motions.  The amendment effectively shortens notice requirements and accelerates the timeframe for responding to such motions…

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held in Bahra v. Cnty. of San Bernardino[1] that a state administrative agency’s ruling did not preclude a plaintiff’s California Labor Code section 1102.5 action alleging retaliation for whistleblowing activities. Background Plaintiff Eric Bahra worked as a social services practitioner for Defendant San Bernardino County’s Department of Children and…

In the case entitled Crawford v. City of Bakersfield,[1] the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a district court’s judgment in favor of a police officer after a jury trial found in favor of the officer for the fatal shooting of an individual that was attacking the officer with a metal club.  During the incident,…

In the case of Martinez v. City of Clovis,[1] the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that two police officers violated a domestic abuse victim’s due process rights under the state-created danger doctrine due to their conduct, yet were entitled to qualified immunity because the law did not clearly established the violation at the time….

In October 2018, then Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 978 (SB 978) into law.  Effective January 1, 2020, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) and each local law enforcement agency are required to “conspicuously post” on their Internet Web sites “all current standards, policies, practices, operating procedures, and education and training…

On November 19, 2019, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California in the case of John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 v. City of San Diego, granted a motion for partial summary judgment filed by two plaintiffs, each a sex offender subject to a lifetime requirement to register with local…

On November 25, 2019 in the case of United States v. People v. Lopez,[1] the California Supreme Court concluded that the desire to obtain a driver’s identification following a traffic stop does not constitute an independent, categorical exception to the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement permitting a search of a vehicle.  In reaching its conclusion, the…

On November 15, 2019, in the case of United States v. Ped,[1] the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that a District Court did not err in denying a defendant’s motion to suppress firearm evidence found in a warrantless search of his home. The Court concluded that the officers had probable cause to believe that…