Listen: Sen Roger Niello
A bipartisan group of State legislators, public safety officials, and victim advocates gathered at the State Capitol today to recognize the initial investment in implementing the will of the voters while emphasizing the need for funding a comprehensive approach to probation and supervision reversing ongoing cuts to probation which will ensure the measure’s long-term success.
The proposed budget includes an initial, one-time funding of $110 million towards Proposition 36. While this investment marks progress, public safety officials and law enforcement say it falls short.
State Senator Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas), State Senator Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks), sheriffs, district attorneys, and probation chiefs as well as victim advocates are a part of a growing coalition of public safety leaders warning that inadequate funding for Proposition 36 threatens to derail the core promise voters overwhelmingly supported: treatment plus accountability.
The Legislature’s proposed state budget specifically ignores critical elements, including:
· No support and a budget cut for county probation departments to handle the increased workload of supervising individuals and connecting them to treatment in the community while holding them accountable.
· No resources for frontline law enforcement to support interventions in the community.
· No funding to house arrestees in county jails and provide in-custody treatment.
· No funding for key partners of treatment delivery such as county sheriff and probation departments who are critical for court-ordered supervision and successful outcomes while only offering modest funds to county behavioral health agencies.