Governor Signs Police Accountability Bills

Gov. Jerry Brown signed several high-profile bills on Tuesday, including two that aim to boost police accountability.

The “Right to Record Act” clarifies civilians’ right to videotape and photograph police officers in public. That bill, SB 411, was introduced by Sen. Ricardo Lara, a Democrat from Los Angeles. 

The second measure ends the use of criminal grand juries when police are alleged to have caused the death of a suspect. Those hearings have been criticized as secretive. That bill, SB 227, was authored by Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles.

Also Tuesday, Brown signed a bill that allows the children of nannies and other domestic workers who live with their employers to attend school where their parents work. That was another bill by Lara, and is known as SB 200.