By Louis Wong
SFPOA President
July 15, 2026
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Police Officers Association (SFPOA) announced today its support for the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation’s lawsuit challenging newly adopted regulations by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Board of Parole Hearings (BPH).
The lawsuit seeks to stop regulations that create a new administrative process allowing the Board of Parole Hearings to recommend sentence reductions, recalls, and gubernatorial commutations for inmates serving California’s longest and most serious criminal sentences, including offenders serving Life Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP) and de facto LWOP sentences.
The SFPOA represents the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect the people of San Francisco. The association also remembers one of its own—Officer Isaac Espinoza, who was murdered in the line of duty in 2004 while serving the citizens of San Francisco. His sacrifice remains a lasting reminder of the devastating impact violent criminals have on law enforcement families, victims, and the communities they serve.
“Our members know firsthand the cost of violent crime. We have buried one of our own. Officer Isaac Espinoza gave his life protecting the people of San Francisco, and his family, friends, and fellow officers continue to carry that loss every day,” said Louis Wong, President of the San Francisco Police Officers Association. “The people of California expect that sentences imposed for the most violent offenders will be governed by the laws passed by the Legislature and the voters—not rewritten by an unelected administrative agency. We stand with crime victims, law enforcement, and the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation in urging the courts to stop these unlawful regulations before they undermine justice, accountability, and public safety.”
The SFPOA believes that significant changes to California’s sentencing laws must be made through the legislative process, not through administrative rulemaking. The association supports the lawsuit’s effort to ensure that the Board of Parole Hearings acts within the authority granted to it by law and that the rights of victims and the safety of California communities remain paramount.
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