After Democrat opposition at a previous committee hearing, Assemblyman Paul Cook's AB 307, to ban sex offenders from operating ice cream trucks, gained the approval of the Senate Public Safety Committee. Read about it here:

http://arc.asm.ca.gov/member/65/?p=article&sid=164&id=221207

After extensive negotiations, AB 307, a bill to keep sex offenders from operating ice cream trucks, has been given a second chance in the Senate Public Safety Committee. If you recall, the bill met an abrupt end in the Senate Public Safety Committee way back on July 14.

There are no guarantees in this building, but the amended version of the bill gained the support of the Committee Chair and stands a fighting chance of making it out of committee. We'd still need to gain the necessary votes on the Senate floor and the Governor's signature, but making it out of Senate Public Safety would be a big accomplishment.

The amended bill will be up for a hearing tomorrow at 9:30AM.

- Assemblyman Paul Cook

Let's be honest. Prisons are as much about prisons as they are about crime. Bleeding hearts might decry our Three Strikes laws which have swelled the prison population, but they willfully ignore the cold hard facts: Three Strikes has worked wonders in reducing our crime rates:

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/cacrime.htm (note the chart at the bottom)

Since its inception in 1994, our crime rate has decreased. Unlike in previous periods, this decrease has persisted amid downturns in the economy, when crime typically increases by a significant amount. This quote from the San Diego News Network sums it up quite well:

“Since then, there have been over 3 million fewer serious and violent crime victims and 10,000 fewer murders,” Reynolds said. The study compares crime figures from 15 years before three-strikes to 15 years after, or the most recent crime numbers released (which are for 2007). “What’s really astonishing is, we’ve seen an increase in California’s population by over 50 percent, but a 50 percent decrease in crime.” Reynold references other theories that attribute crime reductions to a stable economy, but points out that crime hasn’t increased since the recent economic downturn– and that California’s violent crime dropped at twice the national rate.

Sure, our prison system has gross inefficiencies and needs improvement, but we need to highlight what works: throwing these scumbags behind bars to keep families and children safe. Now Democrats and Arnold are proposing releasing 27.000 and allowing a "Sentencing Commission" of non-elected political appointees the power to send criminals to the streets.  Read about it here:

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/024817.html

Good politicians and the people need to stand up to these bleeding heart, cure-them-with-love types. Let them know we want our criminals behind bars and our children safe.

In a move that shocks no one, but should outrage every law-abiding Californian, the Democratic leadership in the Legislature plans to offer and vote on legislation to release 27,000 criminals from our prison system.  Take it away, Sacramento Bee ...

"Over objections from Republican lawmakers, the Legislature plans to take up a majority-vote prison package Thursday that is designed to reduce the state's inmate population by 27,300 and is backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger."

Yes, even Arnie supports this majority-only, shove-criminals-down-our-throats approach.  Is former advisor Pete Wilson still around? But wait, there's less!

"Republican lawmakers particularly oppose the transfer of prisoners during the final year of their sentences, which they consider "early release" and believe would threaten public safety. Schwarzenegger officials dispute that characterization and have said those prisoners would be monitored by GPS or other means."

Hey, California. It's okay. Sure, prisoners will be out causing destruction and mayhem, but with GPS, you can monitor that destruction and mayhem in real-time. Perhaps some crafty fellow will devise an iphone application to show the number of rapists in the vicinity. The possibilities are endless. JPCblog can see it now ... "Wow, I'm being mugged, and it's showing up on my iphone app!"

We have also heard that these 27,000 criminals will be the non-violent, loving type. Not only does that miss the point (they're still criminals), but ignores the fact that "non-violent" offenders tend to reoffend, and it's not always simple property crime. Take for example the "non-violent" offender who murdered 17-year-old Lily Burk in a decent area of LA. Are you willing to take 27,000 risks in this state?