One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Too Many Prisoners = Too Scary for Californians, Says DA Cooley
Photo by 888bailbonds/Flickr
District Attorney Steve Cooley went on the record today in opposition of Governor Jerry Brown's proposed budget because he believes a provision for transferring "thousands of convicted felons and parolees to county custody and supervision threatens the safety of citizens."The proposal is part of an effort to re-align state services and programs in order to reduce spending. With Los Angeles County jails already overcrowded, Cooley believes that "up to 9,000 convicted felons would be required to serve their sentences in Los Angeles County," and there just isn't room for them.
The influx of prisoners would further tip the balance so that more lower-level offenders would wind up spending very little time in custody. "Convicted felons will not be adequately punished," said Cooley's office in an e-mailed statement. "Tens of thousands of convicted felons will be on the streets with minimal supervision, threatening all Californians."
“The realignment proposal is a public safety nightmare,” Cooley told the Assembly Budget Subcommittee during a late afternoon hearing in the Board of Supervisors hearing room at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration. Cooley urged the committee members to reject the budget proposal.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
