On Aug. 20, in anticipation of “Hurricane Hilary” hitting California, Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted, “Stay Safe, California.”
I literally laughed out loud when I read this tweet. Gavin Newsom does not care about your safety or mine. Gavin Newsom cares about virtue signaling and traipsing around the country in anticipation of an upcoming presidential run.
I laughed out loud at Newsom’s faux concern because I felt safer with Hilary’s impending onshore arrival, with possible flooding and hurricane-strength winds (then an earthquake!) than I feel with the destructive progressive Democratic policies and non-leadership in California we all have to live with every day in the Golden State.
Let’s start with Proposition 47, deceptively named the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,” which has increased certain types of crime, particularly property crimes such as theft and burglary in California. Reducing penalties for these offenses has emboldened criminals and contributed to an uptick in these crimes. We have all seen a new rise in smash-and-grab robberies here in the Santa Clarita Valley. It’s undeniable. We are less safe.
Prop. 57, also known as the “California Parole for Non-Violent Criminals and Juvenile Court Trial Requirements Initiative,” has been a disaster. The reclassification of crimes and early release of criminals has made us all less secure. We are less safe with both Prop. 47 and 57. It isn’t even debatable.
There are too many “bad bills” to list for this legislative session. The top three bad bills are:
Assembly Bill 665 is what can only be called a State-Sanctioned Kidnapping Bill. AB 665 allows for removing children age 12 and up from their parents’ homes WITHOUT A COURT ORDER and with NO DUE PROCESS. This bill also allows 12-year-olds to “consent” to “residential shelter services,” removing themselves from their own homes without input or consent from their parents. Twelve-year-olds can’t “consent.” They can barely pick out their own clothes before school in the morning.
AB 957 would mandate that all judges MUST side with and rule in favor of trans-affirming parents in custody matters and eliminates a judge’s decision-making in these matters based on whatever evidence is presented. In other words, this bill FORCES judges to remove custody from a parent who does not agree with or affirm their child’s “gender identity” during a family court custody dispute by making gender affirming part of the health, safety and welfare of the child, and thus a determining factor (Family Code 3020). This would be law EVEN IF the child’s gender identity developed five years or five minutes ago, and even if one parent uses identity as a ruse to strip the other parent of custody.
AB 1078 would provide that the state has control over local school boards and not the parents and citizens who elected the school board members. This is an end run around local school board control over curriculum and gives the power to the state to control from the top down. If this becomes law, why even have a duly elected school board? The state wants to stifle and eliminate parent participation and parental involvement in school boards by being able to mandate government curriculum.
And finally, we are less safe with our disastrous Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón. Gascón ran for office on a platform of “progressive” reforms, including reducing incarceration rates, ending the death penalty and increasing the use of “alternatives to incarceration.”
Gascón has gone way too far in reducing incarceration rates and promoting alternatives to incarceration. For example, Gascón has implemented a policy of not seeking cash bail for most misdemeanor and nonviolent felony cases. While this policy is intended to reduce the number of people held in jail before trial, this policy has led to dangerous repeat criminal offenders being released back into the community. Gascón has implemented policies that reduce the sentences for certain crimes, such as gang-related offenses and hate crimes. This puts all our safety and the safety of our community at risk. Gascón has EMBOLDENED criminal activity across Los Angeles. And it must stop.
So sadly we are “not safe,” with or without a Hurriquake.
Denise Lite is a Santa Clarita resident. “Right Here, Right Now” appears Saturdays and rotates among local Republicans.
