California Bail Agents Association
Why I Fight for Reform in the Bail Industry
I sued the state alone. I lost. The legislature eventually agreed with me. Now I want to fight from inside the association — with the full weight of the industry behind the next fight instead of one bail agent standing alone.
The Arc That Brought Me Here
The Rebate Fight
I was the first bail agent in California to publicly state that Prop 103 permits bail bond rebates. The industry came after me. CDI investigated. CDI took no action. A federal antitrust complaint later cited my post as the only public proof that the truth was being suppressed.
The Lawsuit
I filed Conley v. Dave Jones (BC630383) in Los Angeles Superior Court, challenging the rule that made it illegal for me to recommend an attorney to a family I had just bailed out. I argued First Amendment. I argued the Commissioner had overstepped. I lost.
The Loss
The court ruled for the Commissioner. I accepted the ruling. I did not accept that the underlying problem — families left without guidance at the worst moment of their lives — had gone away.
AB1927
California Assembly Bill 1927 was signed into law, addressing the cold-calling and solicitation practices I had been speaking out against for years. CBAA did that work through the legislature. The question I raised in 2016 got answered — just through a different path.
The Board
I want to make sure the next fight gets fought the right way from the start — with the full weight of the industry behind it.
Why an Outsider Who Challenged the Industry Is Exactly Who the Board Needs
I know what it looks like when a bail agent tries to do the right thing alone. I know what the industry does to that agent. I know what it costs — in relationships, in complaints, in years of being the person other agents warned each other about.
I also know what it looks like when the association gets it right. AB1927 happened because CBAA worked the legislature instead of fighting in court. That is the model. That is what I want to be part of.
I am not running against the CBAA. I am running because I believe the association is the right vehicle — and because I have spent enough time outside it to know what it looks like from the client's perspective, from the attorney's perspective, and from the perspective of a bail agent who was willing to say things the industry did not want said.
The families we serve deserve an industry that competes on price, tells the truth about what the law requires, and stops exploiting people at the worst moment of their lives. That is not a radical position. It is the position the California legislature took in 2022. I want to help make sure it stays that way.
The Record — Verifiable
Licensed Since
2008
CDI License #1845390
Lawsuit Filed
BC630383
Conley v. Dave Jones, LASC 2016
Federal Citation
4:19-cv-00717
Crain v. Accredited Surety — cited as proof, not defendant
Settlement
$69.4M
Proposed settlements in the Crain case, 2026