In order to address what they refer to as “systemic racism” in the criminal justice system, Los Angeles County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis have suggested a plan to “decarcerate and depopulate” county jails by freeing offenders.
The proposal, which will be decided upon at the following Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, was made by Solis, a former Democratic representative who served as Secretary of Labor under President Barack Obama, and Horvath, a former mayor of West Hollywood who attempted to ban President Donald Trump from the city.
The plan calls for the Supervisors to declare a “humanitarian crisis” and to take action to reduce the population of inmates through various types of releases. It states: “To depopulate in addition to decarcerate is an enormous task, and the Board of Supervisors is determined to redress the wrongs of history, deeply embedded in systemic racism and prejudice, and reverse the current responses to mental health, poverty, and medical needs, as well as substance use dependencies.”
According to The Los Angeles Daily News, local attorneys are incensed at the scheme, which caught them off guard:
“The Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay and the Tri-County Police Chiefs Conference both take place during the same week as the proposal, according to the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs Association, which claims it was unaware of the proposal until Friday.”
In a letter to the supervisors that was obtained by the Southern California News Group, “the group claims that in the wake of soaring crime rates, pre-arrest decriminalizing policies, and an entire shift away from sound public safety responses, it seems that the County Bureau of Statistics is set to worsen our current plight. We have actively participated in these initiatives and do not oppose change. We are worried about the hurried move under public scrutiny, though, because it forbids shareholder involvement.”
The only Republican on the board, Supervisor Kathryn Barger, is hostile to the new strategy.
Due in part to the policies of District Attorney George Gascón, who was elected with the aid of millions of dollars in expenditures from left-wing billionaire contributor George Soros, Los Angeles County is already in uproar over skyrocketing crime.
The Board of Supervisors publicly rejected the reelection of the Democratic law-and-order County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Robert Luna beat him in November.