The EXECUTIVE SUMMARY #16
We need to do this for ourselves….by ourselves!
Sean Longoria, Record Searchlight on June 9, 2017 (excerpt)
“Shasta County lost out this week on $6 million that public safety officials hoped would help address the impacts of Proposition 47, the voter-approved initiative to reclassify some drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors.
“The money, part of $103 million total granted by the Board of State and Community Corrections, would have helped Shasta County deal with current and future offenders under the proposition, which local public safety leaders blame in part for an increase in local crime and a decrease in accountability for criminals.”
I sat in the parking lot of a grocery store in Redding this past Sunday. It was about 11am. In the 15 minutes I was there, I witnessed 3 drug purchases from a vehicle parked in the lot. The “dealer” did not seem concerned nor did his customers. Business appeared to be good…and fear of arrest did not seem to be a deterrent.
So, once my anger and disgust subsided…I asked myself (and now you readers) 2 questions:
- How did we get here?
- Where do we go from here?
We can lament about the poor governance from Sacramento…or the lack of voter awareness…and maybe the complaining will make us feel better (for a while). But it doesn’t answer the 2 questions. Question 1, quite frankly, doesn’t matter. We’re here. But question 2, that’s the one we need to focus on.
As the budgeting process continues, I call on our City Council, the Board of Supervisors, and our government staff to look at any and all ways to find funds to drive back this menace. We canNOT stimulate growth in our downtown, promote manufacturing, and encourage development & construction without addressing this social decay. We need to do this for ourselves….by ourselves!
Oh…and the Prop 47 money…about $32 million went to LA County………………
Joe Chimenti