You’ve seen it with your own eyes. Rampant gang violence has been tearing apart communities. Career criminals have been let loose on the streets of Lancaster and Palmdale. Meanwhile, cash-strapped and short-staffed sheriff’s deputies have been trying their best to preserve security in our community.
Yet for four long years, we have seen public safety in the Antelope Valley continue to backslide. It is time for an honest look at the problem of crime in our neighborhoods — we must stand up as a community and say “no more.”
Families in Palmdale and Lancaster have had to bear witness to unspeakable things: Cops executed in broad daylight, days of shootings that leave scores of young men dead and public officials who are supposed to protect law-abiding citizens that sell them down the river in the name of “reform.” We must look at the root cause of these issues in order to solve them. We can and we must build a brighter future for families — a future free from crime and senseless violence.
Four years ago the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, under pressure from the Defund the Police movement, implemented shortsighted policies within the sheriff’s department that’s resulted in a catastrophic shortage of equipment and manpower. Look no further than the officers in the Palmdale and Lancaster sheriff’s stations who are forced to work hours upon hours of overtime just to make sure that someone shows up when you call 911.
Also in 2020, George Gascón narrowly won the LA County district attorney election. In a year of tension between many communities and the justice system, he campaigned on radical change to existing judicial institutions. He brought it. Immediately, he ended cash bail and began letting dangerous offenders back onto the street. He also stopped using sentencing enhancements to keep gang members who assault and kill others from staying in jail longer.
All of this happened as Proposition 47 was lowering penalties for serious crimes, from public drug use to shoplifting. The result? A cascade of crises that continues today: Homelessness, smash-and-grabs, rampant drug use and incessant gang violence. These all threaten middle-class families trying to live the American Dream right here in the Antelope Valley.
The solution to this nightmare is simpler than you think. All it involves is going back to policies that work, from investing in law enforcement to keeping bad guys in jail instead of on our streets.
Transitioning back to common-sense policies doesn’t mean completely divesting from community-based approaches. As a matter of fact, I’ve been proud to secure more than $4 million in federal funds for valuable organizations that help at-risk youth stay out of the justice system. These organizations include the Lost Angels Children’s Project and the Optimist Boys Youth Home right here in the Antelope Valley. Nonprofits like these who are responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars and use evidence-based approaches that actually prevent crime deserve continued support. But they cannot be the start and end of public safety.
We must continue to support our police officers — the men and women who protect us from the bad guys on a daily basis. These heroes literally put their lives on the line to keep us safe from harm, and they do it with little staffing and inadequate resources. I’ve been a fierce advocate of police officers in Congress — introducing legislation to protect police officers from cop-killers, cosponsoring bills to help them hire more manpower, and securing millions for the Palmdale and Lancaster sheriff’s stations for necessary, life-saving equipment.
We need to put the bad guys back in jail again, and enable police officers and prosecutors to lock up people that threaten our community. At the federal level, I was an ardent supporter of legislation that puts fentanyl dealers who kill kids away for a long time. Locally, I’ve been a vocal advocate for the overturning of Prop 47, which is on the ballot this November, and a fierce opponent of George Gascón. Politicians and local candidates seeking office who have supported both Gascón and Prop 47 are simply too dangerous for California — we can’t maintain these failed policies.
We can put the American Dream back in reach for middle-class families and build a brighter future on a foundation of freedom from violence. All it takes is continued engagement from decent folks in our community and a return to common sense.
Mike Garcia represents the 27th District in the US House of Representatives.
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