San Francisco isn’t the only city willing to wipe clean the records of those convicted of pot-related crimes.
District Attorney George Gascón says three different jurisdictions have approached his office for advice on how to make similar changes.
“Some people haven’t done the legal research [on the process],” he told Cheddar. “We started looking at this weeks ago.”
“The law says the petitioner has to hire an attorney, petition the court, have a court appearance...This is a tremendous burden on the community. We came to the determination we could do this ourselves, without anyone asking for it. We will save the communities hours of effort and funding.”
The San Francisco DA’s office said this week it would apply more lenient rules on marijuana possession to cases dating back to 1975. That means more than 3,000 misdemeanor sentences will be dismissed, and almost 5,000 felony convictions will be reviewed and possibly resentenced.
Gascón says it’s important the changes are applied retroactively.
“It makes no sense either morally or legally to have someone commit a crime December 31, 2017, in our case, and on January of 2018, that’s no longer a crime,” he said. “It makes no sense whatsoever. The whole idea of the war on marijuana around the nation is wrong-headed, and we need to move in a different direction.”
California became the largest state in the country to legalize recreational marijuana on January 1.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/other-cities-considering-following-san-franciscos-lead-in-clearing-marijuana-convictions).
President Biden thinks there should be "serious" scrutiny over Japanese company Nippon's planned purchase of US Steel.
You found the perfect holiday gift online. You ordered it. A notification arrived on your phone, showing the package had arrived. But when you open your doors, the parcel is nowhere to be found.
Airbnb has admitted to misleading its customers in Australia by not making clear that prices on its site were listed in U.S. dollars instead of Australian dollars.
Business research group The Conference Board said that its consumer confidence index increased two months in a row.
Grant Buckholt, financial adviser with Northwestern Mutual, joined Cheddar News to discuss what exactly a holiday bonus entails and provided tips on how to budget it.
New car sales in the U.S. are forecasted to grow next year.
Many of us will look to chart a path to tackling finances as the New Year arrives. Jamila Souffrant, author of "Your Journey to Financial Freedom," joined Cheddar News to discuss steps on what to take if you're looking to take control of your life for financial freedom.
If you're looking to upgrade your home entertainment system, Vizio may have you covered, especially this holiday season. Phil Schneider, head of device sales with Vizio, spoke with Cheddar News about what's currently in demand.
There are reports that Warner Brothers Discovery and Paramount have held talks to join forces. Cheddar News breaks it down to discuss what this could mean for the media landscape and for viewers.
Thursday kicks off the busiest holiday travel period of the year.
