Gov. Jerry Brown has rounded up more law enforcement support for his plan to realign public safety resources in California.
Flanked by public safety officials, Brown defended his plan to shift responsibility for some inmates from the state to counties. He also pushed his strategy to pay for it; a handful of tax extensions and a voter-approved funding guarantee.
“This is a permanent response to a long-festering problem and for that reason, we need a vote of Californians to lock this into the constitution,” Brown said.
Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin also joined Brown.
“This year, without this state constitutional amendment, we are looking at financial amputation,” Pazin said.
Public safety realignment is opposed by many Republicans, like Assemblyman Jim Nielsen who says it would mean the release of inmates.
“There are other ways that we must balance this budget by not putting our families at personal risk and by aggrieving victims,” Nielsen said.
Brown has signed legislation that realigns public safety, but it can’t easily be implemented without the tax extension.
