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Institute For JusticeWe are the national law firm for liberty.Nick Sibilla, ContributorToday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 443, one of the most important reforms for civil forfeiture in recent years. Under civil forfeiture, police can seize and keep property without a criminal conviction, or even filing criminal charges. The new law is aimed at closing a loophole that allowed law enforcement to evade state protections.When compared to most other states, California’s forfeiture laws provide relatively better protections to property owners. California state law has long required a criminal conviction before real estate, vehicles, boats and cash under $25,000 could be forfeited to the government. To forfeit cash above the $25,000 threshold, the government must establish clear and convincing evidence. Furthermore, when an innocent person with an interest in the property seeks to protect that interest, the burden is on the government to show that the owner knew about the property’s illegal use.http://www.forbes.com/sites/instituteforjustice/2016/09/29/california-governor-signs-new-criminal-conviction-requirement-for-civil-forfeiture/#8d53cdf42590
I've never had the opportunity to say this before, but good for Moonbeam!