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A defendant may be released on bail for all offenses except capital crimes. Public safety is the primary consideration in setting the bail amount. The court must conduct a hearing before deviating from the scheduled bail for a violent felony or for threatening a witness in a rape, domestic violence or criminal threat case. The court must state its reasons for deviating from the bail schedule. (Cal.Const Art. 1 Sect. 28, PC 1270.1, and PC 1275.)In violent felony cases, the district attorneys office, Division of Victim Services and the probation department are responsible for notifying victims and witnesses that they can request notification regarding the defendant's release. The Division of Victim Services will provide the forms to those victims and witnesses. (PC 679.03(a).)Inmates convicted of murder, voluntary manslaughter, life cases, stalking or a case where the defendant inflicted great bodily injury, cannot be released on parole within 35 miles of a victim or witness. However, the victim or witness must file the appropriate form with CDCR, and CDCR must find there is a need to protect the safety and well being of the victim or witness. (PC 3003.)Upon request, when a defendant is sent to state prison, the victim or next of kin will be notified of the defendant's release to work furlough or a reentry program at least 60 days prior to placement. If the inmate escapes, the victim must be given immediate notification. The victim should keep his or her request and current address on file using a form that can be obtained through the Division of Victim Services. (PC 679.02(a)(6), PC 11155.)The Right to be Protected13 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 17 An employer with more than 25 employees may not discriminate against an employee who has been a victim of a sex crime or domestic violence when that employee seeks medical attention or counseling. (LC 230.1.)Employers must allow crime victims or family members t

Section 3 establishes procedures for the court to dismiss or settle a whistleblower action under the TAF Model Bill and procedures for a whistleblower to be heard on the AttorneyGeneral's motions to dismiss or settle such an action. These provisions differ from the federal civil FCA, however, by (a) requiring only the written consent of the court, not the Attorney General, (b) requiring the court to take "the best interest of the parties involved and the public purposes behind this chapter" into account prior to granting a dismissal, and (c) granting whistleblowers additional rights in these proceedings. These additional requirements, rights, and evidentiary privileges could clearly be problematic in litigation involving pendent state claimsunder the federal civil FCA. Arguably, these provisions also interfere with the Attorney General's prosecutorial discretion and the separation of judicial and executive powers