California Parole Board Members Removed Over Sex Offender Decisions

10:04 AM ETDeveloping

Politics Desk

In Short: Two commissioners were removed from California’s Board of Parole Hearings after approving the release of sex offenders, sparking public backlash and calls for increased transparency.

The leader of California’s Senate removed two commissioners from the state’s Board of Parole Hearings in June after they granted releases for sex offenders, leading to public protests and legislative calls for changes to the parole system.

Patricia Cassady and Teal Kozel, who had served nine and three years on the board respectively, approved the release of David Funston and Gregory Vogelsang, both convicted of sexual crimes against children in the 1990s.

Public safety officials opposed the releases and urged the public to protest at a subsequent review hearing, highlighting the tension between public safety concerns and parole decisions.

Republican lawmakers drafted bills to increase transparency in parole decisions and reform the elderly parole system, which allows certain offenders over age 50 to seek release.

California’s 21-member parole board assesses whether eligible prisoners are safe to be released back into the community under state supervision, a process that has now come under scrutiny.

What's confirmed

The leader of California’s Senate effectively removed two commissioners from the state’s Board of Parole Hearings this June after releases they granted caused a public backlash.
The commissioners, Patricia Cassady and Teal Kozel, had already served nine and three years on the board respectively when they separately approved for release David Funston and Gregory Vogelsang, each of whom was serving a life sentence for sexual crimes committed against Sacramento-area children in the 1990s.
Sacramento public safety officials opposed the releases and urged the public to protest the decisions at a subsequent review hearing.
Republican lawmakers in both houses of the state Legislature drafted bills calling for more transparency about commissioners’ decisions and changes to the elderly parole system, which allows certain offenders over age 50 to seek parole.
“I think we all can agree that we share the goal of reassuring the public while respecting the constitutional and civil rights of everyone during these difficult decisions,” she said.
“It communicates to parole commissioners and other decisionmakers that if you do something that is not popular, even if it’s the right decision, even if it’s consistent with the law, even if it protects public safety, then there are costs to you in your career,” he said.
Newsom said in February that he disagreed with the board’s decision to release Funston and sent the case back to the full board for another review.
Instead of bringing their nominations up for consideration as is typical, Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón, who chairs the Senate Rules Committee, opted to shelve Cassady and Kozel’s reappointments to the board when it considered the nominations of five other commissioners who were seen as less controversial, senators Caroline Menjivar and John Laird confirmed to CalMatters.

What's still developing

Two parole board members who authorized the release of men convicted of sex crimes were ousted after Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón declined to take up their appointments.
Keeping up with your California representatives felt impossible before.
Cassady has since retired, and Kozel has returned to her former staff position as a senior psychologist supervisor with the board.
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