PPOA Retiree Liaison
LASD retired
jschallert@ppoa.com
I just read that our governor plans on closing more state prisons and all juvenile facilities. Not solely due to budget, but as part of his “philosophy” in switching to education and rehabilitation. Elon Musk is pulling out of California. Rumor is, more than 25% of tech firms are thinking about moving out of state. This is not just for tax reasons. Some of the highest-paid employees not only cannot afford to live here, but the living conditions are horrible in what used to be the most desirable location to live. Is Newsom right, or has his cheese slid completely off his cracker?
We have had liberal leadership in the state for a while, but these proposals seem so far out of touch it amazes me. In the 80s, L.A. County jail counts hovered around 20,000. Today, I am betting we have less than 13,000, and the County has doubled in population. Do the math on that. I got a text from a friend today that simply read, “clean your guns.” San Francisco closed down residential streets to allow tents to fill the streets for “persons who are experiencing homelessness” (yes, that is the new term) and they no longer prosecute crimes related to homelessness (a very broad interpretation).
The governor’s plan to close prisons seems to follow the Prop 47 plan: save money on incarceration and put that into rehab centers. That second part never happened with Prop 47. Yet, here we go again. We only incarcerate the most violent these days, and now he wants to let even more out? What kind of rehab for an ADW suspect would that be exactly? “Sorry you had to shoot at that man, let’s sit down and talk about your childhood instead of taking you to jail.”
California has the potential to descend into the sea, that is for sure, if only figuratively. Politicians seem to really not care about public safety. Newsom needs to spend a few shifts riding in some of our fast stations (and going to calls, not just sugarcoating it), and talking with the bleeding victims instead of looking at his checkbook and reading fan mail from the ultra-left.
So many retirees have left the state, and I know countless more active-duty personnel who are counting the days before they reach up and pull the ejector handles, launching them about 849.9 miles northeast. I have always considered myself pretty moderate politically, as many of you are. I worry about the future of California now more than ever under this Legislature and governor.
Unfortunately, I have no solutions. I wish cops could run the government. We are trained to solve problems fairly and have more problem-solving experience than anyone up there. But cops are no longer popular in much of the world, and many of us are too tired or broken after our careers to take on that challenge. Maybe that is because we speak the truth and don’t care if it hurts your feelings to hear it. These days, everyone gets a trophy.
Recently, it appeared Democrat Christy Smith lost her bid for the 25th Congressional District to Mike Garcia, a Republican. This flip may be seen by some as a good sign, or a fluke that was due to poor turnout. We will see.
I hope you retirees who remain in the Golden State support the changes that we need. Look at the candidates running in your area and reach out to help the ones who would make positive changes. We do still have voices. Heck, we even recalled a governor in the recent past! I do think the majority of Californians will eventually wake up to what is going on, but by then, the cow may have left the barn.
I hope all of you are staying well and safe, practicing social distancing, supporting your local small businesses and being a pain in the ass to those politicians who are ruining the state!
Until next time, keep the emails coming by sending them to jschallert@ppoa.com.