A rally at the Capitol this morning recognizing victims of violence will feature Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, under intense pressure from activists to file criminal charges against the two officers – Terrence Mercadel and Jared Robinet – who shot and killed 22-year-old Stephon Clark last month.
The Sacramento Police Department has not confirmed the names of the officers, released last month by Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris.
The rally, honoring National Victims' Rights Week, doubles as a campaign event for a proposed November ballot measure called "Keep California Safe" that would re-classify 22 crimes, including felonies currently considered nonviolent, as violent offenses. Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to speak, though his office did not confirm his appearance.
Crimes proponents are seeking to re-classify include rape by intoxication, assault on a peace officer, felony domestic violence and serial arson. Inmates convicted of such crimes not classified as violent offenses are eligible for early release from prison. The proposal is out now for signatures.
Event sponsor Crime Victims United of California is expected to honor the group's lawmakers and district attorneys of the year, which include Schubert, as well as Senate Republican Leader Pat Bates of Laguna Niguel, Assemblywomen Catharine Baker, R-Dublin, Sabrina Cervantes, D-Riverside, among others.
Schubert, a registered Republican, is also facing scrutiny for accepting $13,000 in campaign donations from two local law enforcement unions following the shooting. She is listed on the list of supporters backing the proposed November ballot measure seeking to tighten sentencing and parole for offenders. The coalition includes several law enforcement and victims' advocacy groups, including the California Peace Officers Association, the California Police Chiefs Association and the organization Women Escaping a Violent Environment, or WEAVE.
Organizers of the rally said they don't plan to bring up the Clark shooting, but acknowledged others could address it and there could be protests. The event is from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on the west steps of the Capitol.
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GUBERNATORIAL SHOWDOWN: Frontrunner Gavin Newsom reported an endorsement from Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis in this year's governor's race, a stinging development for former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who said he's endorsed her for every race she's ever run. Solis served in the state Senate and Assembly in the early 1990s before being elected to the House. She was later named secretary of labor under former President Barack Obama.
Solis touted Newsom's work on creating a universal health care program for San Francisco during his mayoral tenure.
"There's no question that on issues that matter to families, from providing quality health care and good-paying jobs, to standing up for immigrant families and protecting Californians from Donald Trump's attacks, Gavin's the leader we need sitting behind the governor's desk," Solis said in a statement.
Villaraigosa was ho-hum about the endorsement, telling The Sacramento Bee's Editorial Board Friday that "people have a right to endorse whoever they want to, and she did."
BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE:The Cook Political Report has shifted its partisan rating California's 21st congressional district in the Central Valley, currently represented by Republican Rep. David Valadao, from "likely" Republican to "lean" Republican.
David Wasserman, House editor for the Cook Political Report, attributed the shift to a growing "enthusiasm gap" expected to motivate Democrats to show up in large numbers to vote in the midterms. Valadao faces Democratic primary challengerTJ Cox, who has the organizational and fundraising support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
DOCTOR MISCONDUCT: Members of the U.S. national gymnastics team will speak at a news conference Monday in support of a Senate Bill 1448, being unveiled by state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo. It would require patients be notified if doctors and other medical specialists have a history of misconduct.
The proposed legislation comes after former USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison following decades of sexual assault and abuse of female gymnasts.
Jeanette Antolin, Jamie Dantzscher and Jordyn Wieber, all former members of the U.S. gymnastics team and among the more than 160 women who have come forward about the sexual abuse, will speak at the hearing. It begins at 11 a.m. in Room 112 of the Capitol.
SURVIVORS SPEAK: A separate event also recognizing crime victims, at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel, features nearly 700 survivors speaking out on how to "transform the nation," including #MeToo leader Tarana Burke and Parkland shooting survivor Samantha Fuentes. Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, and state Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, will speak on a separate panel. More information on the two-day event is available here.
This story was originally published April 09, 2018 5:45 AM.