Richard Gonzales

California Reluctant To Further Reduce Its Prison Population

Richard Gonzales — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:49:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

To California now, where Governor Jerry Brown promises to keep fighting federal court orders to reduce his state's prison population. While Brown did meet a deadline late last night to file a plan for further inmate cuts, he insists those cuts will jeopardize public safety, and he says he intends to take an appeal back to the Supreme Court.

On California Prisons, It's The Governor Vs. The Courts

Richard Gonzales — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:19:00 +0000

California Gov. Jerry Brown is locked in a legal battle over control of his state's prison system. Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling ordering the state to drastically reduce its prisoner population. Brown claims the state has made substantial progress, but the governor has stopped short of complying fully with the court order.

There's a long history of legal wrangling over California prisons.

In Bankruptcy, Stockton Must Decide Pension Issue

Richard Gonzales — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:28:00 +0000

A federal judge says Stockton, California, may continue with its bankruptcy filing. The judge ruled Monday that the city does not have to take money from its pension obligations to pay its debts. As NPR's Richard Gonzales reports, Stockton's bankruptcy could have ripple effects across the country.

How To Be The Good Guy With A Gun At School

Richard Gonzales — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:16:00 +0000

Ever since the Newtown, Ct., school shooting, there's been a raging debate over how to keep America's schoolchildren safe. National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre proposed stationing an armed guard in every school in the country. Critics said that idea was impractical and would be too expensive to carry out.

But many schools and school districts already have armed police officers. Since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, about one-third of the schools in the U.S.

Rove Tells Calif. GOP To 'Get Back In The Game'

Richard Gonzales — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 10:49:00 +0000

Karl Rove had a sharp message to California's Republican Party Saturday. He implored party leaders to "get up off the mat" and work to revitalize the state GOP. Republicans hold no statewide offices in California and have given up a supermajority to Democrats in the state legislature.