THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY DA's OFFICE CUTS POSITIONS & PROGRAMS-WHY?
The "cold case" & "gang injunction" units, both which Ramos' political mailers said were success stories (which as to the "cold case" unit has yet to result in a single conviction and the "gang injunction" success facts have been to date elusive), were not just cut, but eliminated--so much for telling the voting public the truth. Those programs could have been saved, if they were successes and did not violate the law, by making other budget calls. Why weren't the private jet & chopper grounded? How about Ramos' travel budget? Does Ramos need a press secretary? Why aren't we moving some of the 20,000 case misdemeanor backlog and generating some fine revenue for the county? Why aren't we talking about reducing budget strains and stresses by stopping the targeting of medically authorized medical marijuana use or looking at the cost savings that could be derived from opting for life-without-the-possibility-of-parole sentencing in the stead of seeking the death penalty? Why aren't we asking the DA's office and the union to allow interns from local law schools to come in and stretch the support staff function better? Why aren't the union negotiators coming in with workable alternatives (if they haven't)?
COMMENTS ON THE PUBLIC DEFENDER CUTS:
Since the management of juvenile cases will be heavily hit by the proposed elimination of 39 positions, we all know what a false economy that is for the County; since the juveniles and indigents will still be entitled to counsel, the county will spend more money on appointing conflict or outside counsel. As a practical matter, the involvement of outside counsel may well slow the case disposition down and create an even greater backlog! Why aren't we asking the PD's office and the union to allow interns from local law schools to come in and stretch the support staff function better? Who are these decision-makers?
No comments:
Post a Comment