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Legislation Allows Californians to Seal Old Conviction Records

Posted on 03/20/2023
SB 731

On March 17,  Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, representing California Senate District 26, and Councilmember Price joined some of the state’s leading advocates for community safety to urge Californians to take advantage of a landmark law passed last year allowing almost all old conviction records to be permanently sealed after a person has fully completed their sentence and gone four years without further contact with the justice system.

Following the press conference, several Angelenos living with old conviction records became some of the first in county history to file petitions to have their records sealed. 

“I am proud to be part of a city and a state that believes in second chances,” said Councilmember Price. “Today marks a significant milestone in California’s path towards criminal justice reform, one that will have a lasting impact on the lives of many formerly incarcerated Angelenos, their families, and their communities.”

SB 731, authored by Durazo and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom last October, made California the first state in American history to allow almost all old convictions on a person’s criminal record to be permanently sealed.