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ALPERN AT LARGE - Retail crime? Smash and grab? Businesses (and good jobs) fleeing? Inflation worsening to make up for all that? Fear not! Rob Bonta is on the case...
...or something like that.
Rather than “Go Unions!” as his number one priority, it’s wondered as to whether or not Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta is really up in arms about retail theft.
“Up in arms” as in “placing shoplifters and thieves on notice”, as in “we’re sick of letting you get away with murder”, or as in “your sorry faces are going to jail!”
If only Bonta put an equal amount of effort into prosecuting the daylights out of smash-and-grabbers (and recognize that those who are repeat offenders don’t deserve to even see daylight), maybe we’d all be better off.
Or is prosecuting and punishing criminal behavior so passé, and so last century?
And is calling violent and high-risk crime out for the danger it poses also passé?
Because while Bonta acknowledges the numbers of crime by all measures are going up...
...Bonta also wants to change the definition of “violent crime” as his rival, former federal prosecutor (and...GASP...Republican!) Nathan Hochman, makes a case for replacing the moron AG we have in L.A. County (Gascón).
And if Hochman actually changes the crime stats in L.A. County by doing what an AG is supposed to do, then certainly Bonta will wonder if his neck will be next on the chopping block.
Because Californians and all civilized people don’t like crime, and predominantly fear criminals more than the police.
Because Californians don’t like squatters.
Because Californians don’t like homeless encampments as a way of life.
Because Californians want their local businesses to stay open.
Because Californians want to live and love in safety and justice.
Because Californians know that there ARE Democratic AG’s and prosecutorial types who remember that it works best when criminals fear them more than the taxpaying citizenry.
Because Californians might wake up to the concept that our one-party system deserves to be reformed to allow decent, reasonable law and order, and that some criminals are NOT capable of rehabilitation (sadly).
Furthermore, the concept of why the heck multibillionaire do-gooders from out-of-state have so much financial power in our DA and other electoral races remains unexplained. I thought we ended that when we told the Koch Brothers to take a hike.
But we don’t need to be lectured by Bonta and Governor Newsom and our mayors how things “aren’t so bad”. What we need is a reform of Proposition 47, co-written by arguably the worst DA in L.A. County history, George Gascón.
We need a reform not only of Proposition 47 but a new sense of political will to help pull us out of the lawlessness of the pandemic to:
...ACTUALLY...
...ENFORCE...
...THE...
...LAW...
...AND...
...TO...
...ACTUALLY...
...HAVE...
...LAWS...
...TO...
...ENFORCE!
No, AG Bonta, things aren’t going well with respect to crime and all the civilization it drags down.
We deserve Attorneys General who do their jobs, and not “Astounding Gaslighters”, “Awful Gaslighters”, “Amateur Gaslighters”, or any other gaslighters to tell us we’re doing OK when in fact...we’re NOT!
Just do your job, Bonta...or step down and let someone else do it!
(Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father. He was active for 20 years on the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) as a Board Member focused on Planning and Transportation, and helped lead the grassroots efforts of the Expo Line as well as connecting LAX to MetroRail. His latest project is his fictional online book entitled The Unforgotten Tales of Middle-Earth, and can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)
