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AP17:091 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
October 30, 2017 
Contact: 
SOS Press Office 
(916) 653-6575

Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation

DEFINES LEGAL STANDARD FOR CLAIM OF SELF-DEFENSE IN CERTAIN CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS OF LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. REQUIRES JURY TRIAL FOR SPECIFIED CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS OF LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

SACRAMENTO – Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the proponents of a new initiative were cleared to begin collecting petition signatures this past Friday.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

DEFINES LEGAL STANDARD FOR CLAIM OF SELF-DEFENSE IN CERTAIN CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS OF LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. REQUIRES JURY TRIAL FOR SPECIFIED CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS OF LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Requires that law-enforcement officers who are prosecuted for crimes involving use of lethal or near-lethal force be held to a reasonable-person standard equal to or higher than that required for ordinary citizens to prevail on self-defense claims. Requires that criminal trials of law-enforcement officers be by jury for charges related to abuse of power or authority, unlawful or excessive force under color of law, or violent felonies. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Likely minor net fiscal impact on annual state and local criminal justice costs. (17-0022.)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1818 and the Attorney General’s tracking number is 17-0022.

The proponents of the measure, Nadia Turner and Masheika E. Allen, must collect the signatures of 585,407 registered voters (eight percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the November 2014 general election) in order to qualify it for the ballot. The proponents have 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than April 25, 2018. The proponents can be reached at 646-245-2711. 

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