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An officer at Sunset Junction | Photo by Jamie Engber via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr
The Los Angeles Police Protective League yesterday backed the mostly Texas-oil company funded Prop 23, which would suspend California's landmark global warming bill, AB 32. At issue for the LAPD union are city budget constraints, which is affecting the number of officers on the streets."The City's budget deficit has already forced LAPD to cut services and reduce the total hours worked by its officers." said LAPPL President Paul Weber. "For every 100 officers who are pulled from field work to backfill vacant civilian positions, it is the equivalent of removing about 30 police cars citywide.
"With the economy and the City's budget in such dire straits, we should be doing everything we can to avoid more lost revenues and higher costs," he continued. "Now is not the time to saddle the City with the reduced revenues and increased energy costs it would incur from implementing the global warming law."
Prop 23 would suspend AB 32, which requires reduced greenhouse gas emissions, "until California’s unemployment rate drops to 5.5 percent or less for four consecutive quarters," according to the ballot language. California would have to "abandon implementation of comprehensive greenhouse-gas-reduction program that includes increased renewable energy and cleaner fuel requirements, and mandatory emission reporting and fee requirements for major polluters such as power plants and oil refineries, until suspension is lifted."
Proponents say AB 32 kills jobs and brings higher costs to everyone. Foes of Prop 23 say the measure will increase pollution and, well, kill jobs.
