Perris Progress/What's Zapinin: New State Law Forces County to Dump Sheriff-Coroner Role Dubbed “Archaic, Medieval”

As a Son of the South, anthropologist Nick Shapiro expected his migration west to Southern California would offer a more modern landscape for his professional pursuits, examining the conditions of incarceration. “I was surprised that the conditions of jailing (in California), not being as different to the conditions in Georgia, Louisiana, and maybe Oklahoma.”

Efforts to separate the coroner from the sheriff were rejected for a second time this year by the Riverside Board of Supervisors. A state bill to separate the positions statewide failed in 2022.

That all changed dramatically last week, when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 1379, authored by IE State Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-31), which targeted Riverside County exclusively.

For full story, click here: New State Law Forces County to Dump Sheriff-Coroner Role Dubbed “Archaic, Medieval” | Zapinin