Kamala Harris is Not Leading in Crises Like I Thought She Would

When Kamala Harris came to San Bernardino during her campaign, I asked her how good were her budget hustling skills given the hiring freezes that had been in place since Gov Davis. I note with interest Kamala Harris complaining about the $71 million in cuts the Attorney General's office is facing [See article covering subject @ http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/233141-proposed-budget-cuts-anger-calif.-sc-ag]. $71 million can be cut into by working in more heat in the summer and cool in the winter, switching to LED lighting, not defending death penalty sentences; I think maybe conviction rates were better in the days when people had to open windows and turn the fans on. Maybe we need some televideo appearance legislation so agents and DAGs (Deputy Attorney Generals) can work from a more central and efficient location. Cut traveling to conferences. Buy the DVD's from the conferences and pass them around. If the conference is interactive, use teleconferencing--heck the regional water boards in the state do it (Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board)! I have often wondered, with CBA's (Collective Bargaining Agreements) in place that cause DDA's (Deputy District Attorneys) to show up and work their non-overtime hours, and those hours only, maybe its time to not penalize DDA's and investigators (comment directed to Human Resources Managers & union stewards) that might want to work off the clock because of professional pride/dedication. In the Sheriff's offices there are Reserve Deputies that not only donate their time, but often thousands of dollars to being able to assist law enforcement in their communities. The spirit of voluntarism was spoken of by Barack Obama as needing rebirth in this nation for us to fight through our current crises. Policy changes may be needed to not just keep an efficient department, but take it to the next level.