CA Death Penalty Must Be Fixed: The Pasadena Star-News reports that since Proposition 34 was voted down, death penalty proponents argue the next step is to fix California's expensive and flawed state execution process. Two changes would streamline executions. The first is to limit the appeals process; the second is to adopt the one-drug lethal injection protocol and abandon the three-drug execution process. Since 1992, 13 inmates have been executed while 84 have died of natural causes. There are more than 720 inmates on death row, 14 of which have exhausted all appeals. Lengthy appeals and procedure could be clarified. Also, capital punishment qualifying special circumstances could be limited. In 1973, there were ten special circumstances; today there are 39. The three-drug method has been challenged, resulting in no executions carried out since 2006. Proponents argue adopting one-drug lethal injections would jump start executions, beginning with the 14 who have no appeals left. It is the same drug used to humanely euthanize family pets.

San Joaquin County Jail Out of Space: Jennie Rodriguez-Moore of the Stockton Record reports officials in San Joaquin County are considering options to add more beds to the Stockton jail. Since the implementation of AB 109, the added 400 inmates pushed the jail beyond its 1,213 capacity. The jail now houses 1,411 on average per day. Furthermore, state parolees are repeatedly committing technical violations and returning to the jail, some as many as 11 times since Realignment began. With prison no longer an option for violators, jails are exceeding capacity and fewer criminals are pleading guilty which is resulting in more trials.

CA Sentences Toll Double-Killer to Death: Demian Bulwa of SF Gate reports Nathan Burris was sentenced to death Tuesday for the 2009 murders of his ex-girlfriend and the man she was seeing at a toll plaza. Continued from this news scan.