Jerry Brown Bans the Word ‘Alien’ from California Labor Law

He’s signed a new bill that removes the word “alien” from official California labor code because it’s seen as disparaging for those who aren’t from the United States, according to the Los Angeles Times. “The word ‘alien, ‘ and any law prescribing an order for the issuance of employment to ‘aliens, ‘ have no place in the laws of our state and more importantly, should never be the basis for any employment hiring”.

The second measure ends the use of criminal grand juries when police are alleged to have caused the death of a suspect. Connecticut doesn’t allow anyone to be indicted by grand juries, whose detractors liken them to the Star Chamber, popularized by England’s Henry VII in the late 15 century.

Further reporting by this newspaper found many districts hire investigators who secretly photograph children coming and going from their houses.

Mendoza was exultant Monday, as his bill was signed into law. The DA association’s CEO, Mark Zahner, told the San Jose Mercury News there would be no more transparency and said, “It’s absolutely ludicrous to espouse or believe that police officers get treated any differently than anyone else”.

The California Association of District Attorneys, as well as other law enforcement groups, oppose the law, suggesting that the grand jury was a useful tool to weed out weak cases, the Los Angeles Times reported. DA’s here can’t introduce hearsay and have to reveal exculpatory evidence that might make their case look bad.

Assembly Bill 1101, authored by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, will require school districts to establish parameters for hiring private investigators and follow rules alerting families of investigations.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post referred to federal grand juries making decisions on cases in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island, New York. He probably missed a lot.