Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Wednesday announced that he has granted 38 pardons and 70 commutations.

Los Angeles, California - A Beverly Hills, California, resident pleaded guilty Monday to filing false tax returns which did not report his offshore accounts in Germany and Israel and did not report the income earned on those accounts, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Nicola T. Hanna of the Central District of California.

Sacramento, California - California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, leading a bipartisan coalition of 32 Attorneys General, filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court supporting states’ rights to regulate and address the rising cost of prescription drugs. In Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the Attorneys General argue that in order to protect the well-being of consumers, States must regulate pharmacy benefit managers, also known as PBMs. PBMs act as gatekeepers between pharmacies, drug manufacturers, health insurance plans, and consumers for access to prescription drugs. 

Sacramento, California - California Attorney General Becerra, leading a coalition of 14 attorneys general, urged the Trump Administration to maintain rules requiring banks to take steps to serve low- and moderate-income communities and protect against lending discrimination. The comment letter responds to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) efforts to weaken oversight of bank compliance under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). The CRA encourages banks to help meet credit needs of all segments of the population. The OCC’s proposal would undermine the CRA, resulting in less access to banking service, loans, and investment for disadvantaged populations.

Sacramento, California - Tuesday, the California Department of Justice issued a consumer alert to Californians and a notice to firearms dealers regarding identification requirements for the purchase of firearms in California. Recent changes to California driver licenses and identification cards may result in firearms dealers requiring that holders of a driver license or identification card with the words “Federal Limits Apply” on it provide documentary proof that they are lawfully present in the United States in order to purchase a firearm. This is because federal law prohibits anyone who is not lawfully present in the United States from receiving or possessing a firearm or ammunition.

Los Angeles, California - The Federal Trade Commission alleged that a California-based student debt relief scheme bilked consumers out of millions of dollars using false promises that they could reduce their monthly payments, or eliminate or reduce their student loan debt.