Readers – Tomorrow (Saturday, November 19), the Vanguard will host its annual dinner and fundraiser. Topic is bail reform (see below). The event features San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi as well as Equal Justice Under the Law Director Phil Telfeyan. There will be a panel discussion featuring Mica Doctoroff of the ACLU and Jessica Bartholow of Western Center on Law and Family.
Doors open at 5 pm and the program will begin at 6 pm.
Tickets are $50 but we have 50 reduced rate tickets at $20 for students and others.
Tickets will be available at the door or in advance: http://vanguardbailreform.eventbrite.com
In October, the Sacramento Bee came out in favor of bail reform in an editorial –California’s bail law is badly in need of reform
“To his credit, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera is forcing a discussion about a fundamental issue of fairness: whether poor people who are arrested should remain behind bars simply because they cannot afford bail.
“Equal Justice Under Law, a civil rights group in Washington, D.C., raised the issue last year by suing San Francisco on behalf of two low-wage earners who were arrested and held in jail because they could not afford bail. The case has statewide implications.”
The Bee makes the point we have made: “Too often, people picked up for minor crimes lose their jobs or cannot care for young children because they spend days in jail.”
This follows big news this week that the SF City Attorney is not going to defend their bail system.
Last week, California’s chief justice, Tani Cantil-Sakauye, criticized the bail system and named a task force to study possible changes through the courts. On Tuesday, Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, said he would introduce legislation to end “this unjust aspect of our criminal justice system.”
“The bail system in California discriminates against poor people simply for being poor,” Bonta said in a statement. Those who can’t afford bail “can lose their job, their car, or their home,” he said, adding the system also “disproportionately hurts communities of color.”
That’s big news. And again, Equal Justice Under the Law Director Phil Telfeyan and SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi, among others, will be discussing this vital issue.
The Vanguard is leading the way with some of the biggest players coming to Davis for a vital discussion on November 19. Sponsorships are still available. Tickets are $50 and we have special discounts until Tuesday for students and those with financial hardship.
Get your tickets today: http://vanguardbailreform.
