L.A. Superior Court Extends $0 Bail Schedule

The Los Angeles Superior Court took action Friday to maintain a temporary $0 bail schedule for low-level felonies and misdemeanors.

Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile announced the decision by the court’s executive committee, which will take effect at 5 p.m. Saturday.

“During this state of emergency, it is necessary to assure persons accused of nonviolent felonies and most misdemeanors are not held in jail pre- trial,” Brazile said. “The court is working with its justice partners to protect the public on all fronts, including slowing the spread of COVID-19 within our jails, courthouses and communities.”

The temporary emergency schedule approved by the committee– which largely mirrors an earlier version — includes an exception for individuals previously released on $0 bail who are re-arrested for new offenses while the current statewide state of emergency is in place. Those individuals are subject to the regular bail schedule set prior to the declaration of an emergency, as are those who are accused of violence and higher-level felonies.

A statewide zero emergency bail schedule — adopted to curb the spread of COVID-19 in jails and surrounding communities — is set to expire Saturday based on a June 10 vote of the California Judicial Council.

Justice Marsha Slough, a member of that council and chair of its executive and planning committee, urged local courts to continue the use of the emergency COVID-19 bail schedules “where necessary to protect the health of the community, the courts, and the incarcerated.”

The Los Angeles Superior Court’s temporary $0 bail schedule will remain in effect until further notice.