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Board urges governor to fund Prop. 36, citing county public-safety costs; vote unanimous
Summary
San Joaquin County supervisors adopted a 5-0 resolution urging the governor to implement and budget for Proposition 36, which the majority of voters approved, citing the cost burden falling to counties without state funding.
The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 9 adopted a resolution urging the governor and Legislature to fund implementation of Proposition 36, the voter-approved measure the board said requires state appropriations for a package of theft, drug-treatment and other enforcement programs.
Supervisor Thomas Dean introduced the resolution and framed it as a fiscal and public-safety issue: “The sheriff's department, the district attorney's office, they're not gonna quit doing their job,” Dean said. “The money's gotta come from somewhere.”
San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow told the board the county has been “very proactive” in enforcing laws and prosecuting crimes and that unfunded mandates add costs to local budgets. District Attorney Ben Freitas (referred to in the meeting as D.A. Freitas) and other law-enforcement speakers described a mixture of prosecutions and increased filings under the proposition’s new authorities.
Board members stressed that the measure passed overwhelmingly in county and statewide votes and that the state should uphold the will of the voters by including the funding in the state budget. Several speakers noted other counties are exploring litigation or other actions if state funding does not follow.
The resolution passed on a roll-call vote, 5-0, and the board asked county counsel and staff to monitor state action and any pending legal steps by other counties.
