Marc Debbaudt, President of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, recently released a critical review of the Legislative Analyst’s Office report on Proposition 47. His remarks were poignant and well observed noting the glaring oversights in the agency’s report. The Legislative Analyst’s Office provides fiscal and police advice to the California Legislature. They review and analyze the budget and provide special reports throughout the year. The LAO’s report was released under The 2016-17 Budget: Fiscal Impacts of Proposition 47. In short, voters approved Proposition 47 in 2014. It was touted as making safer neighborhoods and schools by reducing penalties for certain non-violent crimes and required state savings to be deposited into a special fund. The LAO report indicated that a great savings occurred because of the implementation of the proposition and that the State likely underestimated the amount saved.
Mr. Debbaudt takes issue with the fact that the report does not take the whole picture into consideration when estimating “savings” from the proposition. For instance, the fact that it does not discuss or consider the costs of housing inmates convicted of misdemeanors (in lieu of what would have previously been considered a felony). The report only notes that the State saved money on the inmates that would have been accused of felonies prior to Prop 47. Unfortunately, there are still significant costs associated with prosecuting misdemeanors and housing those convicted of misdemeanors. Those costs do not simply vanish and must be taken into consideration.
Furthermore, the ADDA President notes that the report fails to address the fact that City Attorneys are now prosecuting some cases formerly prosecuted by the County, this means that the “savings” to the State was simply has just become a new cost to the City. This is simply “cost-shifting” that does not address the real problem.
The truth about Proposition 47 is that it has made our streets less safe according to Mr. Debbaudt as fewer crimes are being prosecuted and less arrests are being made not because the crimes are not being committed but rather because the penalties are not worth the time and effort to prosecute.
Learn more about Proposition 47 and the impact it has had on California’s budget and your safety by following Premiere Bail Bonds.