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City Going to War Over Anti-Gang Initiative |
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Political Warfare
By David Lowell
LA’s City Council is preparing to go to war with State Senator George Runner over his anti-gang ballot measure … known as the Safe Neighborhoods Act … which just qualified for the November ballot.
Runner, Mike Reynolds … known as the father of the Three Strikes law … and San Bernardo County supervisor Gary Ovitt made the announcement over the weekend saying: “Californians are fed up with gangs and the violence and the destruction they inflict on our neighborhoods.”
Runner then stuck the dagger in: “Now California voters,” he said, “have a chance to do what the liberal Legislature has failed to do: Pass true gang reform.”
Meantime, LA City Councilman Tony Cardenas resolution is scheduled for a Wednesday City Council vote opposing the Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. LA doesn’t like the initiative’s reallocation of funds and believes it’s a lot about policing and prisons and very little about prevention and intervention.
In the briefest of summaries, the new law would: 1) Require the state to provide a total of $965 million per year for law enforcement and prosecution; 2) Increase penalties for specified crimes; and 3) Change State Parole Policies.
In longer form, Runner’s announcement notes these provisions of the Act: Increase penalties for felons and gang members with guns; Prohibit bail for illegal aliens charged with violent or gang crimes; Create the Early Intervention & Rehabilitation Commission; Protect witness testimony; Create a statewide gang registry; Punish smugglers of prison contraband; Establish the "Use a gun and lose a car" law; Toughen laws for methamphetamine distribution and sales; Allow counties (that are under federal court order to release jail inmates) to operate temporary jail facilities; Strengthen Section 8 Housing compliance; Heighten penalties for criminal accomplices; Impose felony penalties on serial graffiti offenders. The Safe Neighborhoods Act is supported by every elected California sheriff, the California Police Chiefs’ Association, the California District Attorneys Association, Chief Probation Officers of California and nearly every other law enforcement group, including rank and file law enforcement organizations like the Peace Officers Research Association of California.
Cardenas’ resolution notes, among other things, that the bill “does not provide any funds for proven ande;ffective prevention, intervention ad rehabilitation programs that reduce violence and criminal activity and cost much less than incarceration.”
California already spends twice as much money on prisions than universities, says Cardenas, and leads the world in incarcaration rates.
The Proposal also says: 1) California currently spends over 10 billion dollars on prisions and only 7.1 billion dollars on the University of california budget and the cal Stat Universit Education system combined; 2) Would cripple California’s current budget crisis; and, 3) Would explicitly exclude those same community and mental health experts whose governmetn needs help to make informed and wise decisions on how juvenile justice monies are spent.
But what we have, argues Reynolds, is not working and “Quite simply, California families have had it with ganfs and they demand solutions.”
The battle is joined.
Cardanes’ resolution comes before City Council on Wednesday. City Hall (10 a.m.).
(INFO: For more on the Act: www.SafeNeighborhoodsAct.com. For the City Council resolution, click here. For the Chief Legislative Analyst report, click here .
CityWatch
Vol 6 Issue 47
Pub: June 10, 2008
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