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 [ LOS ANGELES ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=312)

#  Assembly District 45 Special Election: The Road to Sacramento

RANTZ AND RAVEZ-California State Assemblyman Matt Dababneh recently resigned from office leaving the 45th Assembly District seat open for a Special Election. The 45th District covers a major portion of the West San Fernando Valley and the Bell Canyon, Hidden Hills and Calabasas communities.

Written by Dennis P. Zine.

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March 08 2018

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RANTZ AND RAVEZ-California State Assemblyman Matt Dababneh recently resigned from office leaving the 45th Assembly District seat open for a Special Election. The 45th District covers a major portion of the West San Fernando Valley and the Bell Canyon, Hidden Hills and Calabasas communities.

I was contacted by many valley residents and business owners and encouraged to run for the seat. I thought about the situation and decided to wait and see who was going to enter the race. Since a majority of my former council district (CD3) covers a large portion of the 45th Assembly District, I am known in the community and continue to remain very involved and active in the neighborhoods and participate with a large number of community-based organizations,including sitting on a wide varietyof boards of directors. I am also local Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield’sambassador to the community.

As candidates began to file for the seat, I was continuing to be encouraged to run for the position by many residents, business owners and law enforcement organizations.

On Monday, January 29, I filed to run and am now an official candidate for the position. I welcome your support and assistance during the campaign. I have a proven public safety record with my many years as an LAPD officer/supervisor and am involved in a wide variety of community organizations that are in place to help improve the quality of life for residents and business owners alike. More to come in future RantZ and RaveZ articles.

***MANY LAPD COMMUNITY POLICE STATIONS TO CLOSE AT 11:00 P.M.*

The LAPD recently began to close many local police stations to the public from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. The plan is to close all LAPD community police stations that no longer have a jail in operation. Most of the 21 LAPD stations no longer have an operating jail, so the closures will impact many communities throughout Los Angeles. There are red phone boxes at the entrance of the impacted stations that permit a person to phone the LAPD and speak to a police representative.

People have been encouraged for many years to go to a police station when they are being followed or to use the ATM machine that is in the station lobby when they need to conduct banking in a safe environment or conduct child custody exchange meetings.

This new plan of after-hours station closures is part of the LAPD redeployment of personnel to the field to respond to radio calls. Three hundred and fifty police officers have recently been redeployed to the field and radio car duties due to the increase in crime in Los Angeles.

***LAPD Crime Stats and sworn personnel as of January 27, 2018***.

As of January 27, 2018, the LAPD reports the total number of sworn police personnelis 10,048. This is a significant improvement from numbers in the past and a good sign for public safety in Los Angeles. Many police departments across the country are struggling to maintain adequate police deployment strength.

As far as the LAPD crime statistics for 2018 are concerned, there is improvement so far this year. The only increase in crime in 2018 vs 2017 to date is as follows:

Robbery is up 4.2%.

All other Violent and Property Crimes are down 2018 vs 2017 in the early reporting period.

Arrest figures show a drop in both Larceny and GTA. Larceny arrests are down 2.6% and GTA arrests are down 6.5%.

*(Dennis P. Zine is a former and retired LAPD Supervisor, former and retired 12-year Los Angeles City Councilman and current General Manager at Bell Canyon in Ventura County. He is a candidate for the upcoming Assembly District 45 election.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.*

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