{"id":2267816,"date":"2024-06-14T11:38:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T15:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-crime-ridden-california-progressive-dems-push-newsom-to-defund-prison-system-by-1-billion\/"},"modified":"2024-06-14T11:43:19","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T15:43:19","slug":"in-crime-ridden-california-progressive-dems-push-newsom-to-defund-prison-system-by-1-billion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-crime-ridden-california-progressive-dems-push-newsom-to-defund-prison-system-by-1-billion\/","title":{"rendered":"In Crime-Plagued California, Progressive Democrats Urge Newsom to Slash $1 Billion from Prison Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fin-crime-ridden-california-progressive-dems-push-newsom-to-defund-prison-system-by-1-billion%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2267816&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In California, escalating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wayne-lapierre-libs-would-rather-target-second-amendment-than-save-lives\/\" title=\"Wayne LaPierre: Libs would rather target Second Amendment than save lives\">crime rates<\/a> coincide with population decline, highlighted by increased violent (5.7%) and property (6.2%) crimes in \u200d2022. Amid this challenging environment and in the run-up \u2063to possible presidential candidacy in 2028, Governor Gavin \u200bNewsom \u200dfaces \u200dpressure from the state&#8217;s progressive faction to reduce prison \u200cspending significantly. Policymakers debate over the budget aimed at addressing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pointing-to-national-debt-ratings-agency-issues-negative-outlook-for-us-aaa-creditworthiness\/\" title=\"Pointing To National Debt, Ratings Agency Issues \u2018Negative Outlook\u2019 For US \u2018AAA\u2019 Creditworthiness\">fiscal deficit<\/a>. While Newsom has \u2063proposed an $80.6\u2062 million cut, other Democratic leaders suggest slashing as much \u200das \u2064$1\u200c billion. This \u200dproposal\u200c aligns with the\u200d shifting prison occupancy rates, yet\u200b prompts concerns about \u2064prioritizing resource allocation over public safety.\u200d The legislative\u200d discourse \u2064stresses a critical junction \u200cin Californian governance and public resource management, significantly influenced by political goals and\u2062 social policy directions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commentary\/\">  Commentary <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/cillianzeal\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/cillianzeal\/%20\"><span>C. Douglas Golden<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   June 14, 2024 at 6:31am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>There are any number of reasons California is bleeding population, but crime rates are certainly one of the biggies.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, violent crime in the Golden State <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ppic.org\/publication\/crime-trends-in-california\/#:~:text=Property%20crime%20across%20California%20also,pandemic%202019%20level%20of%202%2C302.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">increased<\/a> by 5.7 percent, a troubling jump when you consider the spike in lawlessness that followed the pandemic and the summer of George Floyd.<\/p>\n<p>(Violent offenses are up by 13.5 percent over 2019 levels, in case you were wondering.)<\/p>\n<p>Property crimes, meanwhile, were up 6.2 percent in <a href=\"https:\/\/data-openjustice.doj.ca.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-06\/Crime%20In%20CA%202022f.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2022<\/a> \u2014 also not a good sign in a state where residents of one particularly hard-hit city, San Francisco, have resorted to leaving their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/start-seeing-cars-parked-trunk-open-time-get-dodge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">car trunks open<\/a> just to prove to would-be thieves that there\u2019s nothing of value to pilfer.<\/p>\n<p>With these kinds of numbers combined with the exodus of residents, you would think that even the progressives in Sacramento would be getting hard on crime \u2014 particularly Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has made no bones about the fact that he wants to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2028.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, state Democrats are doing just the opposite. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/california-playbook\/2024\/06\/10\/the-big-ticket-budget-cut-where-newsom-and-democrats-are-miles-apart-00162456\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Politico<\/a>, state legislators are looking to slash the prison budget dramatically \u2014 and they think they have the leverage to get Newsom to play along.<\/p>\n<p>California needs to pass a budget by June 15, lest legislators forego their paychecks. Furthermore, the fiscal year starts July 1, putting additional pressure on the various parties.<\/p>\n<p>The balancing act is trickier than in years past, since the Golden State is no longer running the surpluses it once was. As of Wednesday, <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/politics\/capitol\/2024\/06\/california-budget-deficit-legislature-newsom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CalMatters<\/a> reported, closed-door talks between the governor and legislators had failed to bridge the impasse over how to deal with the state\u2019s multi-billion dollar deficit.<\/p>\n<p>Newsom\u2019s plan involves, among other things, \u201cdipping into reserve accounts, deferring school funding, eliminating government jobs and cutting or delaying money for infrastructure, health and climate programs,\u201d among other things.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Would you live in California?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/california-legislature-budget-gov-gavin-newsom-d0ecb7821c2fb5a02ab46cb1bad6bd8c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Associated Press<\/a>, the Legislature rejected many of these proposals on Thursday and fast-tracked a temporary tax increase to address the deficit. That\u2019s just a band-aid, however \u2014 and one of the targets for progressive Democrat legislators is a dramatic cut in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/sex-offenders-roam-free-ca-gov-proposes-permanently-slashing-prison-population\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prison spending<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDemocratic lawmakers argue that the $14.5 billion budget of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has long been bloated, noting that the agency is expected to have nearly 15,000 empty beds in the next fiscal year, according to a recent report from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office,\u201d Politico noted.<\/p>\n<p>The outlet further added: \u201cNewsom and prior governors have, for many years, bucked the requests of liberal lawmakers who want to slash how much money the state spends on incarcerating people, arguing they are instead focused on using the corrections budget to improve prison conditions and reentry programs for former inmates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, Newsom is willing to at least consider cutting prison spending, proposing an $80.6 million cut. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, on the other hand, asked for a $1 billion cut (yes, that\u2019s a B, not an M) in their proposed budget.<\/p>\n<p>The Legislature\u2019s progressives think that they have the upper hand, given the budgetary situation, and aren\u2019t letting a good crisis go to waste.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis should have happened before, but no time like the present to right-size CDCR\u2019s budget,\u201d said state Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/democratic-lawmaker-jokes-mandatory-drag-queen-story-time-k-12-students\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scott Weiner<\/a>, chair of the state Senate Budget Commitee. \u201cWe know that our prison population is down, but the budget keeps going up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Well, perhaps the growing budget isn\u2019t the problem, but the dwindling prison population instead. After all, the numbers don\u2019t lie \u2014 violent crime up, property crime up, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/california-drops-population-first-time-recorded-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">population down<\/a>, tax base down. While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dems-push-lighter-punishment-intentional-hiv-infection-lgbt-stigma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scott Weiner and reality have never mixed<\/a>, Newsom has political aspirations beyond Sacramento and those numbers, when put before the American people, don\u2019t add up to 270 electoral votes.<\/p>\n<p>However, it\u2019s not just Weiner who\u2019s clamoring for slashing prison funding and closing down correctional facilities.<\/p>\n<p>Assemblymember Mia Bonta \u2014 a former Budget Subcommittee on Public Safety chair and one of the loudest voices calling for defunding California\u2019s correctional facilities \u2014 says she wants to end what she calls the Golden State\u2019s \u201cprison industrial complex.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt signals to me, and I\u2019m sure makes other Californians wonder, whether we care more about buildings than people,\u201d Bonta said.<\/p>\n<p>If California Democrats actually cared about people, what they\u2019d do is start locking up the individuals who pose a threat to personal safety and property. Instead, they\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/sf-walgreens-infamous-padlocking-frozen-foods-now-putting-chewing-gum-lock-key\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">locking up chewing gum at Walgreen\u2019s<\/a>. That\u2019s the priorities of Sacramento\u2019s far left \u2014 and Newsom may just blink.<\/p>\n<p>Granted, just pouring money into prisons won\u2019t solve what ails California if politicians don\u2019t start waking up to the reality of what their state has become. However, lawmakers do their constituents no favors by slashing the money going into correctional facilities, either. It\u2019s time for the Golden State to get real about its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/segment-california-violent-crime-goes-off-rails-crew-targeted-crooks-broad-daylight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quality of life problems<\/a>, and that starts with putting those who flout the law in facilities where they\u2019re no longer able to do so.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>\u201cWe don\u2019t even know if an election will be held in 2024.\u201d Those 12 words have been stuck in my head since I first read them. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn recently made that comment to Floyd Brown, founder of The Western Journal. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>And if the leftists and the elites get their way, that\u2019s exactly what will happen \u2014 no real election, no real choice for the Electoral College, and no real say for the American people. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Western Journal is fighting to keep that from happening, but we can\u2019t do it alone.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We work tirelessly to expose the lying leftist media and the corrupt America-hating elites.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>But Big Tech\u2019s stranglehold is now so tight that <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>without help<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  from you, we will not be able to continue the fight. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The 2024 election is literally the most important election for every living American. We have to unite and fight for our country, otherwise we will lose it. And if we lose the America we love in 2024, we\u2019ll lose it for good. Can we <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>count on you<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to help? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>With you we will be able to field journalists, do more investigative work, expose more corruption, and get desperately needed trStephen A. Smith Lights Up Analyst Over WNBA Delusion, Caitlin Clark Jealousy &#8211; &#8216;Who Talks About the WNBA?!&#8217;uth to millions of Americans. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We can do this only with your help. Please don\u2019t wait one minute.<\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>  Donate right now<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Thank you for reading,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Josh Manning<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Deputy Managing Editor<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>P.S. Please <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>stand with us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  today.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-44670\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/cillianzeal\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44670\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44670\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44670\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44670\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he&#8217;s written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he&#8217;s written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-leaves-for-delaware-as-russians-prepare-to-take-kyiv\/\" title=\"Joe Biden Leaves for Delaware as Russians Prepare to Take Kyiv\">enjoys spending time<\/a> with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties). <\/p>\n<p>  Birthplace <\/p>\n<p>  Morristown, New Jersey <\/p>\n<p>  Education <\/p>\n<p>  Catholic University of America <\/p>\n<p>  Languages Spoken <\/p>\n<p>  English, Spanish <\/p>\n<p>  Topics of Expertise <\/p>\n<p>  American Politics, World Politics, Culture <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Commentary by C. Douglas Golden, June 14, 2024: California&#8217;s population decline is influenced by various factors, notably rising crime rates. In 2022, the state saw a 5.7% increase in violent crime, exacerbating the post-pandemic surge in lawlessness<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":663,"featured_media":2267817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/newsom.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2267816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/newsom.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/663"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2267816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2267817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2267816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2267816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2267816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}