San Bernardino County voted to present raises to some elected officers and supply minimal ranges of assets for sheriff’s division staffing.
Greater than 85,000 voters submitted ballots however selected to not vote on the proposal.
Election outcomes shall be licensed Dec. 3, and if handed, the regulation would take impact Jan. 1, 2025.
The proposition intends to forestall future governments from defunding regulation enforcement to make sure that the sheriff’s division has sufficient assets to guard the general public, and to “present aggressive compensation” for sure elected officers, in accordance with the textual content of the measure.
Discussions associated to regulation enforcement funding erupted in earnest in 2020 with a “defund the police” motion spurred by the loss of life of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Whereas some municipalities—together with Los Angeles and San Leandro within the Golden State and elsewhere within the nation in cities like Portland, Oregon, and Seattle—selected to reallocate funding away from policing, San Bernardino voters at the moment are on the verge of guaranteeing funding with Measure L.
At present, the county considers the pay in 5 close by counties—Kern, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Ventura—to find out truthful salaries for elected officers, together with sheriff and district lawyer, amongst others.
If the proposal is accredited, modifications to the county constitution will take away Kern County—with the bottom pay of these thought-about—from the present method and change it with Los Angeles County—which pays greater than the opposite 4.
An present wage cap tied to neighboring counties’ averages would even be eradicated.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna earned greater than $400,000 in 2023, whereas Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood was paid about $218,000.
George Gascón, Los Angeles County district lawyer, acquired about $477,000 final yr, and Cynthia Zimmer, Kern County district lawyer, introduced in practically $203,000.
Shannon Dicus, San Bernardino County sheriff, was paid greater than $291,000 in 2023. District Legal professional Jason Anderson was paid about $272,000.
Measure L requires wage particulars be posted on the county web site, along with statistics associated to the variety of requires service, incident reviews, and budgets for the present and prior two years for policing unincorporated areas.
Prior yr averages could be used to find out future minimal staffing funds ranges, in accordance with the measure.
The regulation doesn’t name for tax will increase however as a substitute prioritizes funds allocations for regulation enforcement functions.
Within the occasion of a fiscal emergency, the measure permits the board of supervisors, on a four-fifths majority vote, to droop the funds laws.
Supporters of the proposition argued that assured regulation enforcement staffing ranges will assist scale back theft and mitigate retail value inflation pushed by theft and insurance coverage price will increase.
Supporters embody Mark Creffield, president and CEO of the Larger Excessive Desert Chamber of Commerce, and Phil Cothran, president of the Cothran Insurance coverage Company.
Some critics advised elected officers that will obtain pay raises, together with the sheriff and district lawyer, have been already sufficiently compensated.
A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Division declined The Epoch Instances’ request to talk about preliminary outcomes or potential coverage modifications.