Archive for October, 2020

California Proposition 25 Bail Bonds

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

Steve Ballmer, a white billionaire with no grasp on reality of the everyday voter, and other proponents of Prop 25 claim that the cash bail system is inherently classist, racist and unfair. People with generational wealth can pay their way out of jail while awaiting trial. Poorer people in the exact same legal circumstances, with the same statistical likelihood to appear — or not appear — for trial cannot afford to pay their way out. This is NOT true! Bail does need to be revised, but Prop 25 does NOT do what it was intended to do, because it was so poorly written by our legislature.

The truth is even Black Live Matter realizes that the way the bill was written will have a horrible impact on minority groups. NAACP, Black Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and many other minority groups have come out for a NO VOTE on Prop 25!

The Bail Bond Industry works WITH families and loved ones to secure their release from jail and guarantees that the defendant will appear in court. Prop. 25 will not allow many minorities to get released and will over-crowd our jails! And, cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to do what the bail industry does, at no cost to the tax payer!

If Prop 25 passes, people could remain locked up indefinitely as bureaucrats face backlogs in service. Like other overburdened government bureaucracies such as the DMV, delays in the justice system could keep people locked up for days, if not weeks. Prop 25 eliminates the quickest pretrial release option for every Californian. The 8th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – part of the Bill of Rights – prohibits the courts from imposing excessive bail, and bail is a fundamental right of the accused and is available to almost everyone.

Prop 25 uses computer algorithms to determine who does and doesn’t get released before trial, leading to more biased outcomes than our current bail system. Working poor and minorities likely will face more discrimination, not less, under this new system.

The ACLU has said that these algorithms neither “provide sufficient due process nor adequately protect against racial biases and disparities,” and that their use “compromises our fundamental values of due process and racial justice.” Even the Pretrial Justice Institute, a longtime advocate for bail reform, recently declared that the algorithms-based system created by Prop 25 “can no longer be a part of our solution for building equitable pretrial justice systems.”

Civil rights organizations like the NAACP oppose the use of algorithms because they create more biased outcomes against people of color, and twenty-seven experts in the fields of statistics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and law from MIT, Harvard, Princeton, NYU, and other leading institutions said that using algorithms to determine pretrial risk raises grave concerns. Even tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Amazon – who use algorithms in their business – have come out against their use to make determinations on risk assessment because they lead to more biased outcomes for poor and minority defendants.

Algorithms might work for recommending songs, movies and other consumer interests but are biased and flawed when it comes to justice, bank loans and other sensitive and personal matters.

Vote No on Prop 25

Wednesday, October 14th, 2020

Lock Her Up! Cane Her Bottom In A Public Square!

Captain’s Log: Star date August 31,2020

Fox News obtained security camera footage of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi getting a wash and blow-out (hey, it’s a term for hair styling) in a previously shuttered by law hair salon. (Am I the only one questioning how or why Fox News was able to procure said video footage?). Bad girl Nancy! All hair salons in San Francisco have been closed since March of this year by executive order of California’s governor, Gavin Newsome.

The owner of the salon has contacted Fox News to complain about Madame Pelosi using her establishment after being shut down for many months, pointing out the double standard apparent in such a legal breach. Her beef was not only with The Speaker but the whole Democratic Party who she blamed for the closures and subsequent lack of business. Her tirade included that fact that not only were her type of businesses feeling the economic pinch, but her customers were fleeing the area as well due to lack of income.

“The homeless are everywhere, defecating in the streets.” (there were tales of that even before the Covid Pandemic hit.) Partially to blame for San Francisco’s homeless has been the Tech Industry. Their financial success has driven the cost of living for the Bay and surrounding areas to prohibitive levels of affordable housing for a large segment of the population. The well to do only took notice of said defecation when the dried fecal matter became a health hazard in the wealthier neighborhoods once it became airborne.

Doubtless there are many who feel the outrage of Speaker Pelosi’s flaunting her privilege, but is it an arrest able offense? ( We’re not sure caning is allowable in this country, and pretty sure not many would care to view an eighty year old woman’s naked posterior in public). She wasn’t arrested, but if she had been….

She would have had the right to a bail bond in the amount set by the judicial system. Every crime in the State Of California has a bail amount, it’s usually up to the discretion of the arresting officer or the jailer of the facility where an arrestee is brought to determine exactly which charge(s) is levelled and the corresponding bail set. What is happening in the State Of California is the attempt to eliminate bail and bail bonds as proposed by Prop 25 on the November 2020 ballot.

We’ve mentioned this topic on previous blog posts, Twitter feeds, and our Facebook page. What the proponents of Prop 25 propose is to replace bail and bondsmen with a computer driven algorithm.
In other words, a spin the dial type of justice. In Nancy Pelosi’s case, instead of her having the ability to contact family or friends to post a bail for her, her fate would rest on an impartial computer deciding whether she would be released with no bail, and her promise to show up for court, or having it be decided that she was a risk, and need to stay in jail until her appearance before a judge.

Back in 2018, politicians in Sacramento passed SB10, which did away with the right of persons arrested or accused of a crime to be able to be released through a bail system. Now, the people of California have the opportunity to reverse this denial of civil rights by voting NO on the ballot choice Prop 25.

Bail is protected in the United States Bill Of Rights, but Prop 25 wants to replace it with the aforementioned algorithm which instead of being less discriminatory, is actually more.

According to Alice Huffman, president of California State Conference of the NAACP, Prop 25 would turn out to be more discriminatory against Latinos, African Americans, and other minority groups. The proposed algorithm would be based on a computer generated formula that would use a system of profiling. This is supposed to replace the current method guaranteed by California’s justice system with allows people accused of a crime the right to choose bail. The computer would be deciding who gets to be set free from jail. The NAACP and other civil rights groups oppose Prop 25 because it will be biased against minorities and the poor.

In addition to being bad for minorities, Prop 25 is bad for public safety and tax payers. Is somebody is released from jail with just a promise to show up for court, statistics show that many defendants are back on the streets committing new crimes, sometimes within hours, ending up being arrested that same day. By eliminating cash bail and bail bonds counties that are already facing financial hardship will be forced to create a new bureaucracy that determines who gets released from jail while awaiting trial.

Having a county probation staff to replace bail bondsmen is likely to cost local governments close to $900 million while reducing state tax revenue by $21 million every year. With the state already having a $54 billion deficit due to the Corona Virus, why on earth would we want to place ourselves further in debt?

For these many reasons we are asking you the public to Vote NO on Prop 25.

Where You’ll Go After Being Arrested in Orange County, California

Monday, October 12th, 2020

If you’re arrested in Orange County, California, a trip to a local jail is a sure thing. Where you end up and how long you stay there depends on various factors, including the location of your arrest and how quickly you can see a judge.

The gist is that the judge will determine whether you’re eligible for bail or a flight risk, and will then set an amount that you must pay for release. If you don’t have the money, a bail bond is worth considering, as it ensures that you’re out of jail in a matter of hours, rather than having to stay behind bars while awaiting your trial.

Here’s what you should know about some of the jails in Orange County and how bail bonds can prevent you from having to spend more time than necessary in one.

Costa Mesa Jail

When your arrest takes place in Costa Mesa, you’ll likely end up in the Costa Mesa Police Department cells. This jail is located at 99 Fair Drive, across the street from the local Fairgrounds, and has 32 beds for short-term inmates waiting to see a judge or awaiting their release.

You’ll generally get out of the Costa Mesa Jail quickly after posting bail because the facility is small enough that they can process you in a matter of minutes.

Santa Ana Jail

Just north of Costa Mesa is Santa Ana, and if you’re arrested in this jurisdiction, your first stop is the Santa Ana Police Department and its jail. This facility is larger than the one in Costa Mesa and has a central location near Santa Ana Stadium, City Hall, and the Orange County Central Men’s Jail.

Orange County Bail Bonds has an office across the street, too, allowing us to get a bail bond agent to you in a hurry.

Newport Beach Jail

Over in Newport Beach, arrested parties will visit 870 Santa Barbara Drive and the Newport Beach Police Department. It’s an easy-to-find location near Newport Central, so family members can get there quickly after bailing you out.

The Newport Beach Jail is also open 24 hours per day. As a result, you can immediately receive your release after sending bail because one fewer night in a cell is always a good thing.

Laguna Beach Jail

Arrested parties in Laguna Beach will have to visit the Laguna Beach Police Department and its jail. This facility typically allows for your release in about half an hour after receiving your bail payment – good news because you won’t have to wait for hours to get out of there.

The Laguna Beach Jail is on Forrest Avenue, not far from Main Beach. It’s easy to find, so once you come up with bail, you can have someone there to pick you up in no time at all.

What Happens If You Don’t Make Bail?

We know that making bail gets you out of a city jail at a local police detachment within minutes, but what happens if you’re unable to come up with the money?

Well, it depends.

You’ll probably end up at a local prison while awaiting your trial since there isn’t enough space in these smaller facilities for long-term inmates.

In many cases, this involves spending some time at the Orange County Central Men’s Jail or the Orange County Central Women’s Jail, depending on your gender. Both of these facilities are in Santa Ana and are maximum-security prisons.

The men’s jail houses up to 1,428 people at any given time, while the women’s prison has 386 inmates. Once you’re in these prisons, you can still make bail, but it’ll take hours to complete the process. These county jail facilities are also far more dangerous, so it’s in your best interest to pay your bail before you’re transferred.

The facility also has the Intake/Release Center (IRC), where you’ll start and end your time at the Central Men’s Jail. You’ll usually spend some time in the IRC while awaiting your arraignment or before officials assign you a cell block.

If you’re considered high-risk, you might end up at the Theo Lacy Jail Facility, another maximum-security prison in Santa Ana. This jail has 3,111 beds and can isolate inmates who require time away from the general population for various reasons.

Those who don’t make bail but are low risk and are awaiting arraignment on a non-violent offense could end up at the James A. Musick Jail in Irvine. This facility is low-security and accommodates both male and female prisoners.

Getting the Help You Need

Of course, you can prevent yourself from spending any longer than you need to at any of these facilities by posting bail as quickly as possible. The faster you can have a bail bondsman on your side and posting your bail, the less time you’ll have to spend in any jail in Orange County.

Start the process by getting in touch with an agent at Orange County Bail Bonds. From there, we’ll give you the information you need to make the right decision on whether or not to continue with the process.

If you continue, we’ll deliver your bail bonds direct to ensure that you’re out of jail as quickly as possible. As we’ve mentioned, city jails often complete their processing in about half an hour. We’re available to help you in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo, and throughout the Los Angeles area.