SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Supporters of a bill that would end traffic stops for low-level infractions rallied at the State Capitol Wednesday morning.
It's part of a renewed push for SB 50, a bill that would ban officers from stopping or detaining someone for a low-level infraction. The bill considers low-level infractions to include being pulled over for registration violations or a broken light on your car.
"We know that, far too often, Black and Brown folks are pulled over," said Dwayne Crenshaw, the president/CEO of Greater Sacramento Urban League.
State Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) introduced the bill. The bill passed the Senate last year, but failed to make it through the assembly.
"Colleagues who really understand why this is so important and the impact that it's having on Black and Brown people, but it will also free up law enforcement to do the real work that they need to do instead of stopping folks because a tail light isn't working," he said.
People perceived as Black were 2.2 times more likely to be searched and have officers use force against them than people perceived as white, according to a 2021 state report on police stops. The report also indicates that individuals perceived as Latino were 1.3 times more likely to have force used against them than people perceived as white.
"SB 50 would say in California, no longer would we pull people over on these pretexts, on these excuses," Crenshaw said.
Across the nation, some traffic stops have been deadly.
Last year, Sacramento native Tyre Nichols was beaten by police officers following a traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee.
In 2021, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed after a traffic stop in Minnesota. He was pulled over for expired registration and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror.
While the bill has support from urban leagues and criminal justice reform advocates, the California State Sheriffs' Association opposes the bill.
"SB 50 really ties the hands of law enforcement to enforce all kinds of laws including infractions and often times infractions lead to the discovery of more egregious and felonious type of activity," said Mike Boudreaux, the association's president and Tulare County Sheriff.
The sheriff said enforcing infractions is also part of public safety.
"Public safety is also the smaller issues that would help keep people safe on the road," he said.
The bill still needs to make it through the legislature and get the governor's signature before it becomes law.
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