West
Controversial bill that would have freed convicted felons serving life sentences stalls in legislature
A controversial California bill that would have freed some convicted felons serving life sentences has stalled in the legislature and will not be moving forward.
SB 94, authored by California Sen. Dave Cortese, would have given certain people serving life without parole the chance to petition to have their sentences reviewed if their crimes were committed before June 5, 1990.
Advocates for the measure said it was much needed to clear the state’s overcrowded prisons.
The Los Angeles Times editorial board, for instance, wrote in SB 94’s favor, arguing that “most eligible offenders are now in their 60s and 70s, well beyond the prime age for violent crime.”
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A view of the California state capitol building on National Urban League California Legislative Advocacy Day on March 13, 2024, in Sacramento, California. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for National Urban League)
The board also argued that SB 94 did not aim to release prisoners unconditionally, but created “a multistep process that would let them make their cases for resentencing.” It also noted that “serial killers, cop killers and sex offenders would not be eligible.”
Anne Irvine, Founder and Executive Director of Smart Justice California, called SB 94 “sound policy that advances our shared goals of public safety and rehabilitation.”
Cortese introduced SB 94 last legislative session, but the measure stalled to allow time for more negotiations and amendments, such as narrowing the scope of eligible individuals and changing the number of petition attempts allowed from three to one per individual.
Cortese, who did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by deadline, said in a statement that amendments were drafted that “included language requested by several law enforcement agencies, excluded torture as a ‘special circumstance,’ codified full protection of victims’ rights.”
FILE- A California prison. A controversial California bill that would have freed some convicted felons serving life sentences has stalled. (BOP)
SB 94 missed a deadline this week to include the new amendments, and Cortese admitted Thursday that the measure does not have the votes to pass.
“The California model of rehabilitation often works, but we must do better. We must continue the conversation and revisit racist, inconsistent and harmful sentencing that has disproportionately impacted Californians for over twenty years, and will continue to wreak havoc until fixed,” Cortese said.
Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, hailed SB 94’s failure to pass this legislative session as a victory.
Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-San Diego, called SB 94 “radical” and a “direct assault on the rights of California families who have suffered the unimaginable loss of a loved one at the hands of violent criminals.”
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“Together, we’ve ensured that when violent murderers brutally take a life, they lose their right to freedom—forever,” Jones said in a statement. “Their punishment is in the name: life without parole. While I’m relieved that this dangerous legislation is finally dead for the year, we’re ready to continue the fight if it comes back. Californians will not stand for letting heinous murderers roam our streets.”
Sen. Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta, said the outcome of SB 94 “would’ve been disastrous for public safety and victim’s rights.”
Sacramento, CA – March 20: California Assemblymember Bill Essayli along with fellow lawmakers honor women in California making an impact during Womens History Month on Monday, March 20, 2023, in Sacramento, CA. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“We know that when voters come together and demand to be heard, even the supermajority has to take it seriously and listen to the will of the people,” Seyarto said. “That is what we saw happen today, a victory of the people over dangerous proposed policies.”
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Republican Assemblyman Bill Essayli of Corona assailed SB 94 as a slap in the face to the victims’ families who must relive the horror of the crimes during parole hearings.
“It’s so mean spirited and it’s just so cruel to these families to open up these wounds. They need some peace and some finality. And that’s what’s so destructive about this,” Essayli said.
Essayli argued that SB 94 was “just the beginning” of Democratic lawmakers’ wider ambitions for prison reform.
“If they get this bill through next year, they’re going to say, ‘okay, well, the new point in time is now 1995, then 2000.’ It’s this incrementalism that they love to do here in the legislature,” Essayli said, adding: “It took them a few years to get where they wanted to go. But we all know what the destination is.”
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The San Francisco Giants selected Rutgers outfielder Peyton Bonds in the third round (90th overall) of the MLB draft on Saturday.
You might note the name Bonds and the Giants and wonder. You’re mostly right.
Bonds is the son of Bobby Bonds Jr. (11-year minor league veteran, spending four seasons in the Giants’ system), the grandson of Bobby Bonds (14-year big league veteran who played seven years for the Giants and amassed 57.2 career WAR) and the nephew of Barry Bonds (seven-time MVP, all-time home run king, 22-year veteran, with 15 of those campaigns playing for the Giants).
This wasn’t a nepotism or a feel-good pick: Peyton Bonds is a real talent. He ranked 115th in ESPN’s final draft rankings, which included a number of high school players ahead of him who will be going to college instead of turning pro. Based on his talent, selecting Bonds in the third round was appropriate.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound outfielder played for Campbell in 2024 then at Rutgers in 2025 and 2026, hitting .305 with 16 home runs over three college seasons. He hit .352 with six home runs and 13 stolen bases this past season.
Bonds has plus raw power like many of his family members. He hit a ball 111.2 mph off a wood bat in batting practice at the MLB draft combine and with a maximum exit velocity of 120.7 mph with aluminum in a game this spring.
Bonds also has above-average bat-to-ball ability (.352 batting average this past season), but a poor chase rate (39%, well worse than average). He is a solid average runner, with enough speed to steal a few bases and possibly stick in center field long term.
DENVER (KDVR) — More sunny and hot conditions are in Denver’s weather forecast for the rest of the weekend and into next week.
Denver weather tonight: Mainly clear
Saturday night will stay mainly clear and warm. Low temperatures will fall to the mid 60s, which is about 5 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year.
Denver weather tomorrow: Sunny, hot
Sunday will be sunny, breezy and hot with wind gusts out of the south southwest picking up to 20-30 mph. High temperatures will climb to the mid 90s, which is more than 5 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year, but well below the daily record of 102 set in 2024.
Looking ahead: Hot week ahead
Sunshine and a warming trend continues on Monday. High temperatures will reach just below the daily record of 100 degrees set in 2003.
More sunny and dry conditions are on the way through the workweek. Every day will start with a low in the 60s, then plenty of sunshine helping to boost high temperatures to the mid to upper 90s.
There is a slight chance for showers, mostly in the High Country, that return by the end of the week and the start of the weekend.
Tech billionaire Vinod Khosla and his family have reached an agreement to buy the Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 billion, according to people familiar with the details, as reported by Variety‘s sibling sports news outlet Sportico.
The deal marks one of the largest valuations ever for a sports team in a control transaction, nearing the $10 billion price tag in Mark Walter’s purchase of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. The India-born Khosla, who is a prominent VC, is worth about $13.7 billion, according to Forbes. He is buying the defending Super Bowl champions from the estate of late owner Paul Allen.
Khosla’s group beat out a handful of other bidders, including a group led by billionaire Aditya Mittal, a member of one of India’s richest families, said the people, who were granted anonymity because the details are private. Sportico was first to report on Khosla’s interest back in May.
Khosla’s wife Neeru Khosla will serve as the team’s control owner, according to a memo that the NFL sent Saturday to its clubs. Neeru Khosla is the co-founder and chair of the CK12 Foundation, an education non-profit. Their son Neal Khosla, the CEO of Curai, will also have a leadership role in the team, according to the memo, a copy of which was viewed by Sportico.
It’s not immediately clear how the deal is being financed. Khosla didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The Allen estate said Saturday in a statement that the team had been sold to the Khosla family and included a quotation from Khosla himself. The statement did not provide any details about the deal structure or financing, but said the Khoslas would be the team’s new control owner.
The Seahawks are worth $6.59 billion, according to last year’s Sportico numbers, but the team was always expected to sell for quite a bit more than that. It’s relatively rare for NFL teams to sell—this is just the third to formally hit the market in the past decade—and the league’s structure virtually guarantees that each team turns a nine-figure profit annually.
The co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Khosla was one of a handful of local investors that bought into the San Francisco 49ers last year at a valuation higher than $8.5 billion. Sportico reported at the time that Khosla bought the biggest stake, though the specifics were not available.
It’s become common for new NFL owners to be existing LPs in other franchises, a process that gives them familiarity with the league—and vice versa. Billionaire David Tepper, who bought the Carolina Panthers in 2018, was a minority owner in the Pittsburgh Steelers. So was Josh Harris, who bought the Washington Commanders in 2023. Harris’ Commanders group included longtime business partner David Blitzer, who was also a Steelers LP. Khosla will need to sell his 49ers equity if the Seahawks deal closes.
Khosla came to the U.S. in his early 20s. He earned an MBA from Stanford, and co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982, serving as the tech company’s first CEO. His VC career started at Kleiner Perkins, and he launched Khosla Ventures in 2004. His firm’s notable exits include Affirm, Opendoor and DoorDash, which all went public.
New NFL owners are heavily restricted in how their financing can come together. There is a $1.5 billion debt limit, and the control owner must hold a minimum of 30% of the equity. Institutional funds can own 10%, and the total group cannot exceed 24 minority owners.
The Seahawks are being sold by Allen’s estate, which assumed ownership after his 2018 death. Allen’s will called for his sports assets, which included the Seahawks and the NBA‘s Portland Trail Blazers, to be sold to benefit charitable causes. His sister Jody Allen, the executor of his will and trust, has run the teams in his absence. The Trail Blazers were recently sold for $4.1 billion to a group led by Tom Dundon.
To date, the most expensive NFL team ever purchased in a control sale is the Commanders ($6.05 billion), while the Los Angeles Lakers are the most expensive sports team acquired in a control sale ($10 billion). A minority stake in the parent company of the Miami Dolphins recently sold to a Chinese billionaire at a $12.5 billion valuation.
Mittal previously contributed about $1 billion to the 2025 takeover of the Boston Celtics, his first major move into U.S. sports. His Seahawks bid group included former Celtics control owner Wyc Grousbeck, Sportico previously reported.
Latham & Watkins was legal advisor to the Allen estate in the transaction.
(Pictured: Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp on Feb. 8 at the 2026 Super Bowl held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.)
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