Santa Clara County Superior Court To Wipe Out Thousands Of Marijuana Convictions
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- More than 9,000 people convicted of marijuana charges in Santa Clara County will have their convictions expunged or reduced next week as a result of Prop. 64, authorities announced Friday.
Supervising Criminal Judge Eric S. Geffon was scheduled to oversee a mass order on Wednesday, April 29th. Court officials said Geffon's order will eliminate the need for people with a Prop. 64 eligible criminal convictions to go through the process of filing a petition, serving an application, waiting for a hearing date and attending a hearing on the matter.
More than 11,500 marijuana convictions involving more than 9,000 people will be wiped out or altered.
"The Santa Clara County Superior Court is pleased to be able to order the record clearance of thousands of people," said Presiding Judge Deborah A. Ryan in a prepared statement. " We hope this process will provide a sense of closure to those individuals."
"Having a clear record also will assist those seeking employment, an issue that is especially important as businesses begin the process of reopening," she added.
Officials said the record expungement was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, the Santa Clara County Office of the Public Defender, the Santa Clara County Technology Services and Solutions, and the Superior Court Information Services Bureau.
"Many months of work have gone into this process and it would not have been possible without outstanding work from each participant," court officials said.
Individuals with questions regarding a specific case should contact their original attorney, the Office of the Public Defender, or the District Attorney's Office.
While the Santa Clara County courthouse has been shuttered during the shelter in place order, Judge Geffon has issued a standing order allowing members of the press access to the building to attend the hearing.
The voter approved Prop. 64 allowed the recreational use, possession and transportation of certain amounts of marijuana in California.