Legislation drafted by Sen. Toni Atkins and Assemblymember Akilah Weber seeks to address dozens of fatalities in San Diego County jails and beyond
Two bills that were introduced to fight the escalating death rate in San Diego County jails and beyond face critical votes next week, although the authors remain confident their legislation will pass the statehouse and be signed into law.
State Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and Assemblymember Akilah Weber, D-La Mesa, each said their bills would improve conditions in county jails statewide and improve transparency and oversight among elected sheriffs. The Atkins legislation, known as Senate Bill 519, was sent to what’s called the suspense file last month. It is expected to resurface as soon as this week, when it will either pass the statehouse and be sent to the Governor’s Office or formally stall for the session.But law enforcement groups criticized the legislation, saying it would intrude on elected sheriffs’ responsibilities and inhibit their oversight of local jails.
“From the start, we knew that this bill was going to be challenging, but it’s a challenge we must keep pursuing,” said Atkins, who will be termed out of office next year and recently announced she would step away as Senate president pro tempore. “While conversations about SB 519 are ongoing, the core purpose of the bill — to increase oversight, transparency and accountability — remains a focal point,” she added. “We must do better so that people are not languishing or dying in our jails, and this legislation is a solution that would help us achieve that goal.”
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