Ca for legislators pressing a bigger robbery of punished fire victims do not need

From Robert GreenCalmness

This comment was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

It is remarkable that some of the worst references to “robbery” in news reports during this year’s deadly fires in Los Angeles County have indicated that there were actually not many of it.

Video distributes to social media Suppose to show young black men to steal goods from a home in Altadan during a fire in Ethan. But The claim was quickly debunked to the ktla Reporter Chip Jostwho talked to the affected family and noted that young men were residents of the house and their neighbors, who quickly eliminated and pack as much as possible, before the flames could destroy everything.

Similar scenes played throughout the Altadena, Pacific Palisades, Malibu and other areas, heavily affected by the fires, which began on January 7 and spread rapidly against the backdrop of the winds of the hurricane. Neighbors joined to help save pets, photos, important documents and personal belongings.

This is a very typical answer during emergencies such as disasters such as fires. Neighbors tend to gather. Robbery, although not unusual during violent social uprisings is Rare during natural disastersS

But fears and Wrong Robbery Reports are common.

The Los Angeles Police Department, whose jurisdiction includes the Pacific Palisades, gave up social media in the hours after fires erupted to disprove the looted rumors.

“At that time”, Lapd said to x“We have not received information about robbery or other criminal activity in the affected areas.”

As the fires were beaten back, some people came to the winding neighborhoods to take advantage of the disaster, which is claimed to have stolen goods from intact or partially destroyed homes, or in some cases to sift through any values ​​that are somehow incorrect.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff reported six arrests for burglary, three for a grand theft and seven to enter the Altadan disaster area; And one for burglary, two for a burglary attempt and one for possession of burglar instruments in Malibu. Police departments in Los Angeles, Pasadena and Santa Monica also arrested in fire areas, including some for robbery, but also for arson, flying unauthorized drones, possession of illegal drugs or weapons and other illegal crimes. Arrests in the evacuation areas for all crimes were about 100.

In a disaster whereby At least 30 people were killedAnd in 10 million people, this is a very low number and does not point to the widespread outbreak of robbery during the fires and immediate consequences.

Read more: The new fire cards have put nearly 4 million Californians in dangerous areas. What does this mean to the people who live there?

So it is crazy that so many members of California’s legislation have put robbery in the central stage by pushing the prison extension accounts and the prison for theft during emergencies. This is an incorrect directing of public time, effort and money. And it enchants over the deep failures of the government that the fires expose: Failure to comply with timely orders for evacuation of emergency situations on the west side of Altadena, where At least 18 people diedS Nervous destruction Fake emergency warning Sent to millions of district inhabitants who are not affected by the fires. The lack of available water to combat fires. Plus questions about the inadequate brush clearance and the confusion of who is responsible for the disaster response.

Senate Bill 571 by Sens. Bob Airletta of Norwalk and Jesse Regina Oklland will be heard on Tuesday at the Senate Public Safety Committee. Assembly Bill 468 From the collections Jesse Gabriel of Encino, Jacqui Irwin from thousands of oaks and Blanca Pacheco from Downey came out of the Committee on Public Safety of the Assembly earlier this month and came to the Committee for Budget Loans on Wednesday.

All lead authors are Democrats and most are considered among the more progressive members of the legislature. The parallel bills are the author of the Republican members.

The bills differ in their details, but all are based on the favorable prerequisite that the extension of the sentences-in some cases up to four months, in others with a year or two-bihas discouraged possible perpetrators who are not discouraged by the current penalties.

California’s story with mislass laws

What is robbery? As used in the California Act, this means theft during an emergency or an evacuation zone. Although accused of being a clear crime, not as a sentence, he may prolong the sentences for accusations such as housing burglary, a grandiose theft and a small theft – crimes that already carry firm penalties. Housing burglary, for example, is a crime that has a sentence of up to six years in the state prison. AB 468 will do this seven years.

It’s hard to imagine a perpetrator who thinks, “I’m ready to do six years, but seven? There’s no way. I’ll go.”

California’s law is already increasing the minimum punishment for small theft during an emergency and practically guarantees the prison. These bills would further gather judges of the powers to order probation without a prison on the basis of individual circumstances.

The political enemies of the state often claim falsely that California is soft in the crime state. For example, after governor Gavin Newo approved the Los Angeles County’s request to unleash the National Guard to help the patrolling areas, Elon Musk has enhanced an absurd post On the X, the platform he possesses that California has previously “literally decriminalizes robbery.”

In fact, at least two people arrested after an alleged stealing from an evacuated house in the Mandeville Canyon during the Palisades Fire may encounter lifetime sentences According to the notoriously difficult law of the state, three strikes, as they have two previous serious or violent crimes. This does not even include the longer sentences in accordance with the current robbery laws, let alone introduce new sanctions if the bills become a law.

California is one of only eight states with discharge laws. Most of them have been adopted against the backdrop of racing riots from the 60s, but California adopted its laws after the Loma earthquake adopted in 1989. There was Just a few messages of theft During the emergency, but in the height of the era of difficult crime of the state and the longer sentences were popular.

The remaining 42 countries are pursuing and awarding thieves and vandals, they, whether they commit their crimes during a state of emergency or in normal times. There is no evidence to support the notion that thefts increase during disasters or in the evacuation areas or that any such increase, if exists, will be controlled by special sentences related to robbery.

In fact, there is little data that suggest that longer sentences have an impact on crime at all. The authors of the latest bills to combat California’s bed certainly know that if they have read reports on their own legislative analystsS

So why do the progressive Democrats seem to insist that they accept so much longer sentences for thefts committed during emergencies?

They may have pressure to hold someone – everyone – responsible for the huge pain and loss. They have recently shook a bill To allow the victims of a fire to judge oil companies for their role in climate change, because this was opposed by their allies in labor. It would also be politically dangerous to focus on emergency workers for unsuccessful warning systems or insurance companies for burdening procedures for recovery. But the accused thieves make popular goals, although they had nothing to do with fires.

Bills also allow Democrats to Continue to burn the cruel credentials They searched last year with a legislative To strengthen sentences for theft. But retail theft was eliminated because of the accelerated investigation and application, not for longer prisons or prison.

In addition, the penalty does not give their voters what they need.

In Altadena, which historically has a large black community, members of Essie Justice Group They made more than 500 calls to ask the residents how they do and what the employees of them need to support their recovery better. They are still analyzing their answers, but so far, group member Sadio Woods said, “A zero percentage of these people said something about crime or robbery.”

Woods noted that some residents who returned home were stopped by employees and “questioned as robbery”.

This recalls the false rumors spread by social media about the alleged robberies, which were actually friends and family who help to save precious things. And it gives rise to anxious but indisputable concern about the effect of racism during disasters.

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.