The Grapevine: 2/18/23

Good morning. California's attorney general starts a new unit aimed at reviewing potentially wrongful convictions, the Los Angeles City Council moves to make it easier to fire police officers, and the state judiciary tells us how many broken windows are normal in a new courthouse — apparently, it's at least 12. Here's what you need to know:

• California's attorney general, Rob Bonta, announced Thursday that his office would create a new unit focused on reviewing potentially wrongful convictions in cases tried by state and local prosecutors. (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-17/california-attorney-general-launches-unit-to-investigate-questionable-criminal-convictions)
• The Employment Development Department, which administers California's unemployment insurance programs, says that it will not require people who erroneously received excess benefits during the pandemic to repay the money, while insisting they will continue to aggresively pursue those who deliberately defrauded the agency. (https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/edd-won-t-require-refunds-unemployment-17789516.php)
• State Assemblymember Issac Bryan (D-Culver City) has introduced a bill that would require California municipalities with populations of 300,000 or more to create independent redistricting commissions. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar bill in 2019, but this bill's boosters say they hope the greater flexibility built into the legislation will help it prevail. (https://calmatters.org/politics/2023/02/california-elections-independent-local-redistricting/)
• A new motion before the Los Angeles City Council would start an overhaul of the city's process for disciplining and firing officers. The move comes after police Chief Michael Moore sent a letter to the Council in December reporting that the civilian board tasked with reviewing disciplinary decisions routinely refused to fire officers who were found guilty of misconduct. (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-17/city-council-members-call-for-overhaul-of-police-discipline-process)
• A spokesperson for California's Judicial Council, which oversees the state's courts, said that the 12 windows that have spontaneously shattered in San Diego's Central Courthouse fall "well within industry norms" for the number of broken windows in new construction. (https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/story/2023-02-17/courthouse-windows-report)

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