As cops share license plate data with anti-abortion states, California AG gives legal refresher

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

BONTA CLARIFIES LICENSE PLATE DATA SHARING LAW

Amid reports that California law enforcement agencies are sharing automated license plate reader data with anti-abortion states, Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced that he has issued a pair of legal bulletins instructing state and local police on what is, and what is not, allowed to be shared under state law.

“While this technology may be a helpful investigative tool, Californians must be able to trust that their information is being kept safe. Today, we remind law enforcement of their responsibility to safeguard this data and ensure its use is consistent with state law,” Bonta said in a statement.

State law restricts law enforcement agencies from sharing license plate reader data with anti-abortion states that might use that data to track pregnant people who come to California seeking an abortion.

Among the law enforcement agencies sharing license plate reader data out-of-state is the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, sent a letter earlier this year to Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper, a former lawmaker who voted for the law his agency is reportedly violating, urging him to cease sharing data with anti-abortion states.

Cooper has accused the EFF of “protecting child molesters, fentanyl traffickers, rapists and murderers.”

“The bill and this law has absolutely nothing to do with reproductive rights. My record on women’s and reproductive rights has been strong throughout my time in the State Assembly, and nothing has changed since becoming Sheriff,” Cooper wrote in a tweet.

STATE BAR REPORT SHOWS ANALYSIS OF DISCIPLINE BY GENDER AND RACE

The State Bar of California on Monday published its annual discipline report, which shows for the first time an analysis of discipline broken down by gender and race.

“This data is provided in alignment with the State Bar’s commitment to a transparent, fair, and equitable attorney discipline system,” according to a news release from the bar.

The report shows that in fiscal year 2023, there were 243 attorneys disciplined, including 76 disbarments.

However, the report did find a disparity in punishment when it comes to gender.

Female attorneys, who account for 42% of all attorneys in the state, made up just 18% of those disciplined. Male attorneys, who comprise 55% of all licensed attorneys in the state, constituted 77% of those disciplined, according to the findings.

The remaining percentage was made up of those who listed “Other” for gender and those with missing data.

“While we are proud to report the demographics of disciplined attorneys for the first time in this year’s ADR, we cannot yet draw broad conclusions, given the small cell size for some groups based on one year’s snapshot,” said Yun Xiang, chief of the State Bar’s Mission Advancement and Accountability Division, in a statement. “However, it is important to start to report such statistics to provide transparency and build the baseline for future reporting.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Out-of-control judges who are essentially legislating from the bench must be reined in, and balance must be restored to our federal judiciary. Thoughts and prayers are no longer an adequate response to the mass shootings like the one we just saw in Maine.”

- Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, in a statement following a judge’s decision to issue a preliminary injunction against a California law that bars gun shows at state-owned fairgrounds.

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