Prop. 6 keeps communities safe

By Sheriff Donny Youngblood, Kern County

Most people agree that California needs a more effective response to the incessant gang violence that grips our communities. How we go about it is where opinions diverge.

Some groups argue that literacy, mental health programs or drug treatment will eliminate gangs. Others advocate expansion of anti-gang programs, but only with tax increases or if the economy improves. These disparate and often single-pronged proposals have led to an absence of a clear statewide anti-gang strategy.

California urgently needs a balanced and sustainable three-pronged approach to successfully deter and combat gang violence; one that recognizes the need for both books and badges.

Proposition 6, the Safe Neighborhoods Act, embraces this approach.

To successfully attack the growing gang violence epidemic sweeping California, the state must prioritize the creation of publicly accountable prevention and early intervention programs that work. They must not be merely a waste of tax dollars. They must also provide law enforcement with the necessary tools to suppress the growth of gang activity.

Proposition 6 takes this comprehensive approach to address the problem of gang and street crime head on.

It invests in programs for at-risk youth and allows probation officials to address early juvenile crime by monitoring first-time non-violent felons. The juveniles who comply with court-ordered sanctions and treatment will have their records stricken. It also authorizes GPS monitoring of convicted gang members a highly successful deterrent, as well as crime-solving technology. It gives district attorneys numerous new tools to take the fight to gang leaders.

Many of these tools would disrupt the ability of older gang members to recruit and use juveniles to do their dirty work. They would help reach juvenile offenders before they are hardened criminals.

Unfortunately, for the most hardened gang offenders, longer prison sentences are a necessary component. Keeping violent offenders behind bars saves lives. When illegal immigrants commit gang crimes, Proposition 6 ensures that they are held without bail. Additionally, Proposition 6 addresses the growing prison contraband trade to control senior gang leaders who are "calling the shots" even from behind bars.

Finally, Proposition 6 attempts to reduce the number of those leaving our prisons from returning, which is important given California's 70 percent recidivism rate. Proposition 6 funds a parolee mentoring and job training program to provide parolees the two most important things they need to succeed in the community: Jobs where they can be successful; and someone who cares about their success.

Proposition 6 comprehensively attacks California's gang problems and enables law enforcement and community leaders to respond with a wider array of tools and the sustainable funding necessary to meaningfully reduce violence on our streets.

Public safety is government's top priority. Proposition 6 will send a clear message to Sacramento that voters expect the Legislature to protect and preserve its small portion of the budget less than 1 cent of each dollar. Funds should be dedicated and returned to California communities for local public safety.

Please vote yes on Proposition 6 for the sake of neighborhood safety.