State budget measure could lessen police transparency, advocates warn

• The law established a standards accountability division within the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) to review law enforcement agencies' misconduct probes and publicly disclose decertification.
• Agencies were also barred from hiring those without valid certifications.

State of play: This year, however, Newsom proposed a budget bill that would remove the disclosure requirement and instead allow the decertified officer's employer to choose whether to do so.

• POST has said it cannot continue public disclosures due to lack of resources, but ACLU California Action counters that the bill would make it even more difficult for victims and their families to get justice.

What they're saying: "A lot of efforts were made to get that decertification ... and now for the governor to undermine that is a significant setback," civil rights attorney John Burris told the SF Examiner.

What next: Newsom signed an interim budget last month to keep the government operating while negotiations continue.

• The measure dismantling the public disclosure requirement currently awaits his signature.