Opponents said the law-enforcement-backed bill doesn’t go far enough because it would enshrine current rules that allow police to kill if they reasonably believe that they or others are in imminent danger. The bill carried by Democratic Sen. Anna Caballero of Salinas has 17 Democratic and four Republican co-authors in the 120-member Legislature.
Opponents countered with two Capitol rallies backing the competing bill by Democratic Assemblywoman Shirley Weber of San Diego that would toughen the legal standard for using lethal force. The progressive advocacy group Courage Campaign, which ran ads promoting Weber’s bill, criticized Caballero for accepting nearly $12,000 from law enforcement organizations.