Articles Posted in California-Law

Just before the end of California’s last legislative session, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that would allow the possibility of parole for minors tried as adults. According to the LA Times, about 6,000 inmates could go before a parole board. Their sentences could be reduced and they could be placed on parole after serving 15 years of…

In the state of California sex between one individual and a person who is under the age of 18 years is known as ‘Unlawful Intercourse’ under Penal Code section 261.5. This crime is commonly known as ‘statutory rape.’ Presumably, that description came about because regardless of whether the underage person gives consent, it is still…

38-year-old Debra Ayala Tapia was arrested March 23, 2010 on suspicion of felony lewd and lascivious acts with a child ages 14 and 15 and felony oral copulation with a child under 16 years of age (California Penal Code Section 288). Her bail was set at $100,000. Tapia is said to have had a sexual…

Attention has been brought to the practice of “sexting”, where teenagers send provocative text messages or revealing pictures via cell phones. This trend has appeared in the news and in episodes of television series. While there is no specific law against teenagers sending explicit photos of themselves, prosecutors are charging individuals with distribution of child…

Steven Burky, age 37, was arrested December 14, 2009 for stalking Jennifer Garner and violating a restraining order protecting the family. Jennifer Garner’s stalker was arrested in Santa Monica outside Violet Affleck’s school. At his arraignment, Burky pleaded not guilty on two counts of felony stalking and two misdemeanor counts of violating a court order.…

As the holidays are upon us now is a good time to consider the effects of drinking and driving and how you can avoid an arrest or causing an accident. My experience comes from 15 years of legal representation. Even though the legal limit in California and many other states is a 0.08 blood-alcohol level…