Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced plans to “depopulate and decarcerate” jails in California, releasing criminals onto the streets to address “systemic racism”.
Los Angeles County Supervisors Hilda Solis and Lindsey Horvath have proposed the plan, which will be voted on at the next Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday.
The plan states: “To depopulate and decarcerate is a monumental task, and the Board is committed to redress historical wrongs, deeply rooted in systemic racism and prejudice, and reverse status quo responses to poverty, mental health and medical needs, and substance use dependencies.”
Breitbart.com reports: It calls for the Supervisors to declare a “humanitarian crisis” and to take steps to reduce the population of inmates through various kinds of releases.
The Los Angeles Daily News reports that local prosecutors are furious at the plan, which surprised them:
The Los Angeles County Police Chiefs Association says it was blindsided by the proposal, only learning about it on Friday, and believes it is conspicuously timed to occur during the same week as two major local law enforcement events — the Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay and the Tri-County Police Chiefs Conference.
“In the midst of surging crime rates, pre-arrest decriminalization policies, and a complete shift away from sound public safety responses, it appears the County BOS is poised to exacerbate our current plight,” says a letter from the group to the supervisors, obtained by the Southern California News Group. “We do not stand against reform and we have been active participants in these efforts. However, we are concerned with the rushed motion under conspicuous circumstances, that does not allow for stakeholder participation.”
Supervisor Kathryn Barger is the only Republican member of the board and is opposed to the new plan.
Los Angeles County is already in an uproar over soaring crime, thanks in part to the policies of District Attorney George Gascón, who was elected with the help of millions of dollars in spending from left-wing billionaire donor George Soros.
The Board of Supervisors openly opposed the reelection of County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, a Democrat who took a law-and-order approach. He was defeated in November by Robert Luna.