Gov. Brown Vetoes Measure to Lessen Drug Charges in Final Flurry of Bills

Some prison reformers claim that California prisons are overcrowded in part because so many inmates are sentenced for nonviolent drug crimes that don’t harm other people. Senate bill 649 would have given prosecutors discretion to charge misdemeanors, instead of felonies, for drug possession. Over the weekend, Governor Brown vetoed the measure. David Siders covers state politics for the Sacramento Bee.