Trial costs: Joseph James DeAngelo, Jr.

Existing law authorizes a county that is responsible for the cost of a trial or trials or any hearing of a person for the offense of homicide to apply to the Controller for reimbursement of excessive costs incurred by the county under specified circumstances. Under existing law, if the Controller determines that reimbursement is proper, the Controller is required to request the Director of Finance to include any amounts necessary to fulfill reimbursement in a request for deficiency appropriation. This bill, the Justice Act of 2019 for the Reimbursement of County Costs Arising from the Matter of the People v. Joseph DeAngelo, would authorize the County of Sacramento and other California counties to be entitled to reimbursement for the reasonable and necessary costs, as specified, incurred in connection with the prosecution and defense of Joseph DeAngelo. The bill would require a county seeking reimbursement to send a statement of costs to the Controller for approval, and would require the Controller, within 60 days, to either pay approved costs or provide a written statement as to the reason for not making reimbursement at that time. The bill would create the Justice Act of 2019 Fund, and continuously appropriate all funds deposited and maintained in the fund to the Controller for the purposes of making these reimbursements. By creating a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations in support of these provisions.