July

"A former research administrator at UC Berkeley who had a prior conviction for embezzlement allegedly stole ""tens of thousands of dollars"" from the university. Alameda County prosecutors have charged Sonia Waters with nine felony counts of grand theft, attempted grand theft, embezzlement of public funds, and attempted embezzlement. ""We have identified a hole in our practices that can lead to some employees hired in non-sensitive positions - not requiring criminal background checks - moving to sensitive positions without undergoing background checks,"" said a UC Berkeley spokeswoman. ""We will certainly be looking to improve our oversight in this area and will put procedures in place to address this issue."" "

Uber driver Daveea Whitmire, faces criminal charges after being accused of physically assaulting his passenger during an argument. Though drivers using Uber, Lyft and other car service apps have faced accusations ranging from creepy text stalking to raping a passenger to killing a 6-year-old girl, Whitmire is only the second driver to face criminal charges for an incident while driving for a car service company. Whitmire's alleged assault is made worse because he shouldn't have been driving for Uber at all, due to past criminal convictions. Prosecutors hope to make this case an example of a need for stronger safety regulations among car service apps.

"Though some business leaders contend that background checks protect employers from hiring potentially dangerous or untrustworthy applicants, opposition to their use in job applications has gained momentum. Employment attorney Sharon Dietrich, said that though state law only allows employers to consider felony or misdemeanor convictions, employers often reject applicants even when previous arrests and charges did not result in a conviction. They also ignore the law when they reject clients for summary offenses. ""They've done everything the system has asked them to do,"" said Vladimir Beaufils, president of the Reentry Coalition for Central PA. ""But they still keep paying, sometimes for decades after the get out."""