Criminal Courts Bar Association

10/04/2020

ABC7 Presents the LA County District Attorney Debate

Lacey - Gascón debate Oct 3, 2020
https://abc7.com/politics/abc7-presents-the-la-county-district-attorney-debate/6632740/

Marc Brown moderated as Jackie Lacey and George Gascón met in an hour-long debate on ABC7.

09/29/2020

On October 17, 2020, from 10:00 a.m. until noon, at various places throughout the local area, CCBA and the Grandview Foundation are joining to collect gently used clothing and toys for the children of Miriam's House.

You can save and share a copy of the download flyer by clicking here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I0JN5nHHlheSXYpsx9bMekEy7DMl3RPy/view?usp=sharing

If you are unable to donate in person, cash donations are also accepted at http://www.miriamshousela.org/donate

09/08/2020

History - Women's Right to Vote

A brief history of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution

08/10/2020

Thank you - to all who participated in our 2020 Professional Clothing Drive to benefit Grandview Foundation, as well as Felicity House (run by Sherri Caruso, wife of our respected colleague Carey Caruso). Our drive was an amazing success.

Here's a copy of our informative flyer for this year's clothing drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NKMT-1DKDZKL8BX1wskM5vyQfTlm4ziD/view?usp=sharing

06/18/2020

THE CRIMINAL COURTS BAR ASSOCIATION’S CONDEMNATION OF THE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD

The Criminal Courts Bar Association is a Los Angeles county-wide organization of criminal defense lawyers in public and private practice, law students, allied professionals, prosecutors, judges, and private individuals. The Criminal Courts Bar Association promotes the protection of individual rights and liberties, improvement of the Criminal Justice System, enhancement of the Criminal Law Practitioners, and the continuing education of the Criminal Defense Bar.

The Criminal Courts Bar Association enjoys a position of trust and respect in the criminal justice system and has an important voice in the legal community. The Criminal Courts Bar Association will continue to remain active in both professional and civil affairs that support the enduring rights of all people, especially those facing criminal charges.

The Criminal Courts Bar Association mourns the tragic and shocking killing of George Floyd by law enforcement. We support the Black Community’s demand for justice for Mr. Floyd, and the numerous other unarmed Black men and women killed by law enforcement. We join those who cry out for reforms to law enforcement and the criminal justice system as a whole, including the role of prosecutors.

We demand the following reforms to ensure all persons receive fair, respectful, and humane treatment; and equal protection and due process under the law:

• Strengthen and empower civilian oversight committees.

• Reform and improve Brady oversight.

• Mandate the use of body cameras by all law enforcement officers from the origin of call for service, before arriving on the scene, and throughout the duration of the event.

• Seek remedies for any officer’s violation, misuse, or failure to activate bodycams, and/or properly preserve all recordings and any other evidence. Remedies for such violations should include officer discipline (suspension, reassignment, training, or other), suppression of evidence, and special jury instructions, among others.

• Transparency of all law enforcement misconduct investigations conducted inter-agency or known to, implemented, or undertaken by the prosecution.

• Expand Pitchess discovery to include all records of the reported misconduct: the original civilian complaints, recordation of third-party witnesses, and Internal Affairs reports.

• Require prosecutors to provide all known records in whatever medium recorded or preserved of police misconduct or officer controversies, including but not limited to all databases available: e.g., ORWITS (Officer and Recurrent Witness Information Tracking System).

• Review by independent agencies of all use of force techniques, including non-lethal means such as rubber bullets, tear gas, and pepper spray, when an officer or another person is not facing the risk of death or serious bodily injury.

• Abolish the use of deadly force, including chokeholds (by whatever medical or other description used) on unarmed individuals.

• Immediate referrals for investigation of all law enforcement officials accused of committing perjury.

• Mandate written reporting for any law enforcement officer who witnesses another officer's misconduct.

08/25/2019

Thank you to our 2019 Criminal Courts Bar Association PREFERRED SPONSORS - Your generous financial support has helped our organization enormously.
• Bad Boys Bail Bonds www.badboysbailbonds.com
• Attorneys in Motion www.attorneysinmotion.com
• Lifesafer Ignition Interlock
www.lifesafer.com
• Victoria Caro Translation Services [email protected]
• Alcohol Detection Systems
www.adsinterlock.com
• Emanate Appearance Attorneys
www.emanateappearanceapp.com
• L.A. Alcohol Monitoring
www.lamonitoring.net
• Iris Healing Retreat
www.irishealingretreat.com
• Rob Rutt 24/7 Notary, Realtor, Bail Agent
www.robonthejob247.com
• Hotel California By The Sea Addiction Treatment
www.hotelcaliforniabythesea.com
• Breathe Easy Insurance
www.breatheeasyins.com
• Scorpion Internet Design
www.scorpion.co
• Alcolock Ignition Interlock
www.alcolock.com
• DUI Insurance Solutions
www.yourduisolutions.com

02/24/2019

Attorney Felipe Plascencia
1965-2019
Paraphrasing President Reagan in 1986, "...“[he] honored us by the manner in which [he] lived [his] life. We will never forget [him], nor the last time we saw [him], this morning, as [he] prepared for [his] journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.'”

Felipe Plascencia was more than a fabulous lawyer. He was a truly generous and giving man. The expressions of sorrow that we see and hear now are a reflection of the good he has accomplished. I cannot ever think of a time I saw Felipe that he wasn't smiling, willing to give advice or just chat about life. In our profession there are so many highly devoted people and, without a doubt, Felipe will always be the face of style, honesty and dedication.

Posted by Mario Trujillo -
"Felipe Plascencia Dec.13, 1965-Feb. 21, 2019. RIP:

Prominent attorney Felipe Plascencia perished in an airplane crash in the Tehachapi Mountains on Thursday night at the age of 53. The La Habra Heights resident was returning from a court appearance in San Luis Obispo when the twin engine Beechcraft he was in went down. In addition to Plascencia, and the pilot, the crash killed attorney Marina Villavicencio aged 38.

Plascencia was an extremely well respected trial attorney and political activist. Plascencia was nationally regarded as as an expert in driving under the influence cases and he was frequently asked to lecture on the subject to both the legal community and members of law enforcement.

Plascencia was born in Tepatitlan, Jalisco, Mexico in 1965. He immigrated to Santa Ana, California at the age of seven with his parents Rafael Plascencia, Maria Guadalupe Plascencia and three brothers and a sister.

Plascencia attended Los Amigos High School in Fountain Valley and while at Los Amigos he distinguished himself academically. He was also a top varsity athlete on the soccer, cross country and track team. Plascencia did so while working a number of jobs throughout his childhood to contribute to his family’s household.

Plascencia matriculated to California State University Fullerton where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. While at CSUF, Plascencia actively participated in student organizations to advocate on behalf of Latino and other minority students. It was in college that Plascencia met and married his sweetheart, Yolanda Brito Plascencia who attended Santa Ana College.

In 1990 Loyola Law School admitted Plascencia and he continued to be active in politics focusing on issues that impacted the working poor and underserved immigrant communities. Upon graduation from Loyola Law School in 1993, Plascencia remained a loyal alumnus and regularly donated his time and money to the institution.

Prior to opening his own practice, Plascencia served as a Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender, and a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Compton. A graduate of the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyer’s College, Plascencia regularly lectured on trial techniques and often mentored law students and new lawyers. A life long student of psychology and human nature, Plascencia encouraged lawyers to empathize with all those involved in the legal process and role play the perspectives of all participants in a case before trial. Plascencia was known for his charming, down to earth style in front of a jury and his relentless advocacy on behalf of his clients. In 2009 he was recognized as the Attorney of the Year by the Mexican American Bar Association, and he was introduced by then Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley.

Plascencia remained active in California politics and was President of the Mexican American Bar Association Political Action Committee from 2005 to present. During his presidency Plascencia raised the visibility of MABAPAC in Los Angeles county and Sacramento. Plascencia, a lifelong Democrat, encouraged MABAPAC to endorse the candidates they felt would best serve the community regardless of political affiliation. The annual MABAPAC mixer, held at Plascencia’s residence in La Habra Heights, hosted prominent members of the legal and political communities.

Plascencia is survived by his wife Yolanda, and his daughters Magali and Alena. Additionally he is survived by his father Rafael and his siblings Ramon, Rosa, Moises, Rafael, Joseph, and Erika."

02/20/2019

Our February monthly dinner meeting featured Hy Malinek, Psy.D., speaking on "Forensic Psychological Evaluations--New Frontiers, New Measures, New Challenges."

Dr. Hy Malinek (337 S. Beverly Drive, Ste 208, Beverly Hills, California 90212 Tel: (310) 551-1345), a clinical and forensic psychologist and a 25 year veteran of the L.A. Superior Court Panel (and a member of multiple expert panels statewide and nationwide) reviewed and discussed some of the new developments in the science of criminal forensic psychology, emerging fields of study, and several new forensic measures which are important to know about. Psychological evaluations under the new mental health diversion law (PC 1001.36), the Franklin ruling, and the SVP law was also discussed.

For those unable to attend the lecture, a copy of the printed materials provided by Dr. Malinek can be found at our link:
https://sites.google.com/a/freedlaw.com/criminal-courts-bar-association/ccba-guest-speakers

01/01/2019

2019 CCBA President Victor Salerno

12/12/2018

Congratulations to our outgoing 2018 President, Richard M Chacon, for an outstanding year. Thank you for all your efforts in continuing the dedication of excellence on behalf of our organization.

Our 2019 Executive Board further promises a great future for the Criminal Courts Bar Association:

2019 Incoming President: Victor M. Salerno
-
President-Elect: Mark Khalaf
First Vice-President: Carey Caruso
Second Vice-President: Lisa Liu
Secretary: Jesse Arana
Treasurer: Arash Hashemi

Best wishes to all!

11/14/2018

CCBA Guest Speakers - Criminal Courts Bar Association

For those unable to to attend the November 13, 2018 dinner meeting, please find attached a copy of the written materials provided by DDA Benny Forer on his topic "The Evolving 4th Amendment - A Presentation on Search & Seizure in the 21st Century."
https://sites.google.com/a/freedlaw.com/criminal-courts-bar-association/ccba-guest-speakers

05/08/2018

Moments from the CCBA 2018 65th Annual Awards Dinner: (top left) Outgoing 2017 President Evan P. Freed received recognition for his contributions to CCBA; (top center) Attorney Michael L. Kogan received the Morton Herbert Award for Outstanding Community Service; (top right) Attorney Robert J. Wilson receive the Joseph Rosen Award for Lifetime Achievement;

(middle left) Attorney Christopher C. Chaney received the Jerry Giesler Award for Trial Attorney of the Year; (middle right) Detective Michael Bender received the Johnnie Cochran Jr. Award for the Relentless Pursuit of Justice;

(bottom left) Honorable Frederick N. Wapner received the Honorable Robert Takasugi Award for Judicial Excellence; and (bottom right) Honorable Steve Cooley received the President's Award for Exceptional Contributions to the Criminal Justice System.

04/23/2018

2018 CCBA President Richard M Chacon

02/14/2018

Thank you to our 2018 Criminal Courts Bar Association PREFERRED SPONSORS - Your generous financial support has helped our organization enormously.
• Bad Boys Bail Bonds
www.badboysbailbonds.com
• Attorneys in Motion
www.attorneysinmotion.com
• Lifesafer Ignition Interlock
www.lifesafer.com
• Victoria Caro Translation Services [email protected]
• L.A. Alcohol Monitoring
www.lamonitoring.net
• Iris Healing Retreat
www.irishealingretreat.com
• Breathe Easy Insurance
www.breatheeasyins.com
• Scorpion Internet Design
www.scorpion.co
• DUI Insurance Solutions
www.yourduisolutions.com
• Smart Start Ignition Interlock
www.smartstartinc.com
• Rob Rutt 24/7 Notary
www.robonthejob247.com
• Diversified Monitoring
www.yourduisolutions.com
• VIP Alternative Sentencing [email protected]
(323) 521-5552 and Fax (213) 260-6400

02/14/2018

Richard Hutton (pictured left) was our February 13, 2018, dinner speaker. He began by announcing the retirement of his law partner and former CCBA President (2003) Robert Wilson (pictured left), and introducing his new law partner and CCBA 1st Vice-President Mark Khalaf.

Robert Wilson gave a dramatic verbal presentation of the necessity of avoiding sexual harassment in the workplace. It boiled down to “No one wants to see your d**k” and was right on. Thanks, Robert, for the presentation.

Richard Hutton began with good news concerning Code of Civil Procedure §223 (http://codes.findlaw.com/ca/code-of-civil-procedure/ccp-sect-223.html) which now greatly expands the right to jury voir dire. Judges can no longer apply arbitrary time limits that affect initial examination of prospective jurors!

Richard Hutton’s major topic was “Anatomy of a DUI Murder.” Having recent success in a case with horrible facts (People v Jason Riley King, http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/sd-me-marine-verdicts-20180122-story,amp.html), Richard described the subtle differences between gross vehicular manslaughter and implied malice required for DUI murder, the benefits of visiting the scene, and the importance of an accident reconstruction expert. It was an outstanding lecture by Richard whom we welcome as our annual speaker on DUI law.

01/10/2018

CCBA welcomed its 2018 President, Richard M Chacon, who introduced our guest speaker, Los Angeles County Inspector General Max Huntsman.

Mr Huntsman described the relevant functions of his office and described the impact of his investigations and reports on the operations of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Check out the Office of Inspector General’s website at https://oig.lacounty.gov/ for an archive of reports produced by Mr. Huntsman’s office.

12/06/2017

December 5, 2017, our final meeting of 2017 was “Judges Night”, our traditional recognition of Los Angeles Superior Court Judges and Commissioners.

Our guest speakers were Supervising Judge Honorable Scott M. Gordon and Assistant Supervising Judge Honorable Sam Ohta, speaking on the state of the courts as well as new laws affecting our clients.

The meeting also officially introduced our incoming 2018 CCBA President Richard Chacon, as well as the following new members who will join our Board of Directors:
Angela M. Berry
Kate E. Hardie
Winston Kevin McKesson
David A. Russomanno
Brian Hurwitz

They will serve along with returning Board of Directors members:
Michael K. Suzuki
Arash Hashemi
Octavio Chaidez
Michael Goldstein
Christopher L. Hoglin
Jacob Y. Glucksman
Pamela Tedeschi
Eric Barter

Also introduced was our 2018 Executive Board:
President - Richard Chacon
President-Elect - Victor Salerno
First Vice-President - Mark Khalaf
Second Vice-President - Cary Caruso
Secretary - Lisa Z. Liu
Treasurer - Jesse Arana

Outgoing 2017 President Evan Freed thanked the voting members of CCBA for giving him the honor of serving as President. He also honored the entire 2017 Board of Directors and Executive Board with certificates of appreciation, and also paid tribute to CCBA Executive Director Christopher Chaney and his amazing paralegal (and CCBA assistant) Elizabeth Ferrat.

It’s the end of a great year for CCBA. Enjoy your holidays and let’s bring in the new year and a new chapter in CCBA’s esteemed history.

11/15/2017

On November 14th the Criminal Courts Bar Association welcomed Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell (who was introduced by former LA County DA Steve Cooley).

At this outstanding event Sheriff McDonnell spoke about the responsibilities of his department, in particular about at risk children and victims of drugs and sex trafficking, the deployment of personnel and the inherent problems with custody operations. The Sheriff took lots of questions and everyone in attendance had a great time.

Thank you, Victoria Caro Translation Services, for being our generous wine sponsor this evening.