CA MAY BE REMOVING ITS COLLECTIVE HEAD FROM IT'S COLLECTIVE ASS

By Bob Walsh

The denizens of the formerly great state of California MAYBE, just maybe, are coming to realize that downgrading and decriminalizing "petty" crime gives you a LOT more crime.  Much of it began with Jerry Brown who determined that merely reducing the prison population, by whatever means possible, was a good thing.  The legislature and the voters bit on it.  Other things, both more ballot initiatives and legislative actions, have further made California the golden state if you are a criminal.  As long as you are reasonably careful you can commit LOTS of property crimes, enforced with a certain amount of violence or threats of violence, and the worst you are likely to receive is a citation and a notice to appear.  

The general public may be getting fed up with this bullshit.  The media may be getting fed up with the bullshit.  Trouble is, that won't be enough.  The legislature of the state is much more liberal than the general public.  The constitutional officers of the state are even more liberal than the legislature.  The voters (some of who are actual citizens) keep electing these people so they are, to some extent, entitled to THINK the voters like and approve of what they are doing.  There are not enough Republicans in the legislature to have a meaningful impact.  The Socialist-Democrats rule the roost.  Mostly.

There are exceptions.  There was a BIG STINK in the media a couple of weeks back when the Assembly Public Safety Committee (known for years as the graveyard of actual public safety legislation) stalled a bill to increase the penalties for sexual trafficking of minors.  A couple of the members voiced the opinion that it was not good public policy to prosecute vigorously those sexually traffic minors.  The negative feedback was almost instantaneous and the legislative proposal is now moving along.  

These instances are currently rare, BUT they may be increasing in number.  As more and more stores close, as more and more corporations move out of state, as more and more in-your-face videos of rampant thievery show up on the 6 o'clock news, the public may just say that they have had enough.

The trick then comes later.  Will they may the connection between dumbass laws and the legislators who pass them?  That remains to be seen.  We have not had a good "throw the bums out" election in CA for ages.  That's what we need.  Will we get it?  (Don't count on it, but we might get lucky.)