The Board and Executive Committee of Take Back Santa Cruz announces their support of Keep California Safe, a coalition of crime victims, law enforcement, business owners and public safety leaders working to pass the “Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2018”. A press conference was held in both Sacramento and the City of Whittier on January 11 to launch the drive and over 100 public officials attended to show their support.
Assemblyman Jim Cooper part of coalition with WEAVE. Petition drive underway to stop early release of inmates for child trafficking, domestic violence and rape of an unconscious person.
During the next few months we will be holding several events to gather signatures for this proposition. In addition, neighborhood leads have stepped forward to circulate the petition as wide as possible. We hope to see the initiative placed on the November 2018 statewide ballot.
The Proposition is a response to fix some of the unintended consequences of Propositions 47 and 57 and other recent public safety reform measures.
Michele Hanisee, president of the Los Angeles Association of Deputy District Attorneys, said the initiative “doesn’t flip the propositions on their head, but corrects some unintended consequences.”
“We support this initiative because it gives us and the police the tools that we need to protect our communities and that is the most important thing to us,” Hanisee said. “It increases supervision of parolees and gives accountability to parole violations back to the courts where it ought to be. It eliminates early release for violent crimes that everyone in the public agrees are violent like rape of an unconscious person and assault on a police officer.”
The Act would:
- Reclassify crimes that under Prop. 57 to qualify as “non-violent” – including rape of an unconscious person, sex trafficking of a child under age 14 and domestic violence – to prevent the early release of inmates convicted of those crimes.
- Reverse property crime abuses by closing a loophole created by Prop 47.
- Reinstate DNA collection for certain misdemeanors. DNA collection is an essential investigative tool for solving cold cases including rape and murder. It is also important to exonerate the innocent.
- Reform the parole system to stop the early release of violent felons, expand parolee oversight, and strengthen penalties for parole violations.
Stay tuned to our Facebook page for announcements of petition gathering signature events. We hope you will play a critical role in putting this desperately needed initiative on the November ballot by signing the petition.
If you are interested in taking a lead in your neighborhood to gather signatures, please contact us at info@takebacksantacruz.org