Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/10957
6A – Daily News – Monday, May 24, 2010 Opinion Courthouse chaos D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Editor: I have yet to see an article that explains the new prison reform in laymen’s terms. Therefore, most voting tax payers have no idea what this all means. Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer’s home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 In simple terms it means that non-violent offenders can now be on a non-revocable parole, which is like no parole. So, not only are they getting out, they have no account- ability after their first 30 days of freedom. The early release is not nearly as scary as the lack of accountability issue. Furthermore, if the offender does something that would have gotten them returned to prison under the old system, the new and improved system gives the Parole department nothing to moti- vate the offender into abiding by the law. Remember, their parole is non-revocable, so the Parole Agent's hands are tied. This means an additional bur- den on law enforcement and the District Attorney. In order for there to be accountability for these indi- viduals, law enforcement will now have to refer all of their contacts with these people to the District Attorney for review to determine if they should prosecute. The District Attorney will now have the burden of prosecuting whereas previously the Parole Department would return the offender to prison and the Board of Prison Terms would then decide how long they would remain in custody. If the offense was serious, the District Attorney could also choose to prosecute. Another potential problem is our county jail. It's almost always full. Under PC 3056, a parole hold, the offender goes back to prison to await a board hearing. That will not happen for the non-revocable folks, so our jail commander now gets to figure out where to house these people if the District Attorney elects to file charges. The state has now put an added burden on the counties. What really makes no sense is these folks only served half of their sentence. The original intent of half-time was to ease overcrowding by releasing the offender to the jurisdiction of a Parole Unit to supervise the remainder of his or her sentence. If the offender adjust- ed well and did not break the law or use drugs they could remain free and be discharged from the super- vision of parole after 13 to 36 months. So, if you think violent offend- ers won't be affected, think again. With an added burden to the courts, they will not be able to spend the same amount of time prosecuting violent offenders, thus more plea agreements. Furthermore, our already taxed law enforcement agencies and courts will now be faced with more of a burden and this will tax resources that would be used to fight violent crime. Additionally, most quote- unquote non-violent offenders are actually pretty sophisticated and are violent, they just got caught for the lessor crime. There is also some confusion as to what is violent and what is not. If you are famil- iar with the three strikes law, you know that anything considered strikable is considered violent. Things like Burglary are strikable, making this particular crime ineligible for the new non revocable parole. Howev- er, if the individual committed a Burglary 10 years ago and then got caught with pot, the District Attor- ney can pursue another strike due to a loophole in the law. That would then make the pot possession a strike due to the previ- ous strike from the Burglary. But, someone serving a sentence for repeatedly drunk driving is eligible for early release and non-revocable parole. They are then back on the streets and driving drunk, which should be considered a weapon. Confused? It gets even better in that statically violent offenders do better than non-violent offenders. A great deal of violent offenses are committed by individuals whom had a clean record prior and they remain felony free after their release. It is actually the non-vio- lent offender whom re-offends more often. This is for various rea- sons including personality disor- Your Turn ders, drug problems, engrained dysfunctional behavior and short jail terms. Lastly, the state is not making funds available to house these releasees. With no jobs, no hous- ing, no resources, desperate peo- ple will do desperate things. Even if the individual is a true blue non-violent offender, the odds are that they will become violent or at least reoffend to survive. We recently abandoned a business plan for a half way house after doing the research to open. Simply put, there is no money and no support in working with this population. It's just become too crazy. Donna Long, Red Bluff Thank you RBFD Editor: I would just like to extend my profound thanks to the Red Bluff Fire Department. The battery in my car caught fire Friday morning, and with smoke and flames under the hood I was panicking. I called 911 and the fire department responded quickly, sending two engines. The firemen put out the fire quickly and I was so relieved. Plus, I can still fix my car because of their fast response. My thanks also to the Red Bluff policeman who helped call for a towtruck for my car. I was too frazzled to get their names, but all these guys were great. Thank you so much!! Jaime Cowley, Red Bluff Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. My election ballot suggestions, choices Commentary Our Tea Party co-Patriots in Redding were privileged to have a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, speak to them last Mon- day (apologies for getting the date wrong in a previous column). If he prevails over businesswoman and former CEO Carly Fiorina in the primary, voters will have a princi- pled, unequivocal conservative choice in the fall campaign against far-left Senator Barbara Boxer. Correction: DeVore currently polls behind Boxer by 6 points (I reported in error that he was ahead), which is slightly better than Fiorina’s 7-point deficit. Con- gressman Tom Campbell polls only 1 point behind Boxer. DeVore, while gaining among Republican primary voters, still trails both Fiorina and Campbell (Source: Rasmussen). His campaign is focused on radio and billboard buys — you may have noticed his ad on Walnut Street by the train tracks — show- ing DeVore standing in front of the Constitution, "We the People of the United States," with a serious look on his face. I can only echo the sentiment: taking our country and our government back from the socialist-leaning left, exemplified by Boxer, is very, very serious business. If he prevails in the primary, attempts to portray him as a hard- right ideologue will fall flat, if his views on immigration are an indi- cation. In response to audience questions, he laid out a position, focused on the rule of law and fair- ness, that speaks to the center-right majority of our state: 1) Extend the fence — a double fence with a Border Patrol road in between — for the entire southern border; 2) Offer those here illegally a process that begins with their return to their home country, to apply for legal entry at the U.S. consulate, and getting in line behind others already seeking legal immigration. 3) Make it virtually impossible for the remaining illegal aliens to gain employment through employ- er sanctions and electronic verifi- cation of legal status for job seek- ers. Illegals will self-deport, and Americans and legal immigrants will take those jobs, coincidentally reducing unemployment. More- over, those not interested in such a process of legalization will have to be considered law-breakers, pun- ished and deported. Since we are on the subject of candidates and election issues, and since many readers have their absentee ballots in hand, here are some of my recommendations: While Ken Miller (the gubernator- ial candidate) is an impressive con- servative, the only viable con- tenders are Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman. While either one will serve us better than the liberal retread Jerry Brown, I’ve personal- ly heard and talked to Ms. Whit- man and believe her to be the bet- ter candidate. Other candidates that I think deserve your support: Sam Aanes- tad for Lieutenant Governor, John Eastman for Attorney General, Barbara Alby for Board of Equal- ization, Doug LaMalfa for State Senator, and Jim Nielsen for State Assembly. Wally Herger may overstay his position as Congress- man in the future, but not yet, in my opinion, so I’ll vote for him and his record defend- ing conservatism. Environmental brick- bats were hurled his way over his criti- cism, factually accu- rate as I see it, of the latest "cap and tax" type of energy legisla- tion to come down the global-warming- alarmist chute. We’ll have plenty of time to deal with the falla- cious, erroneous and often hysterical argu- ments from alarmists later. Don Mr. LaMalfa should be rewarded for his dedicated ser- vice to our values in Sacramento with your vote. Mr. Nielsen has been subject to fanatically obses- sive attacks from political oppo- nents; their campaign only encour- ages me to support him and rec- ommend that you do also. Your choices in local races should be determined by what you have gained from the many candi- date appearances and coverage by the media, as well as your own judgment. In the contest for Dis- trict 3 Supervisor, where I live, I will vote for and recommend Undersheriff Dennis Garton, based on our common values and his Polson The way I see it devotion to public service. Of the propositions on the bal- lot, 14 and 16 stand out for the deceptive, duplicitous way they are being promoted to mask hidden agendas. They should both be voted "No." The effective eventual result of Prop 14 may well be that you see only Democrats on the bal- lot in general elections if the top Republican candi- date receives fewer votes than the top 2 Democrats. P, G & E isn’t spending a reported $35 million pro- moting Prop 16 because it’s in our interests. They are implementing "Smart Meters" or other so-called "smart" policies, that their customers are already objecting to, that necessar- ily result from adding unreliable alternative ener- gy, like wind generators. Ultimately, they want to be able to overwhelm opponents any- where that try to break free from those inefficient, unwise, and expensive practices. This week’s Tea Party Patriots are hosting Mr. Larry Champion, incumbent, and candidate for, Superintendent of Schools, at both the Red Bluff and Corning meet- ings. Also at the Red Bluff Patriots meeting will be Jim Nielsen. Infor- mation is provided in the "Local Calendar" section. Be aware that the Red Bluff meeting is on private property and any inappropriate appearances and activities of a dis- ruptive nature will not be tolerated.