Councilmember Traci Park at a “Vote Yes” for Prop. 36 Rally in Venice.
A rally for “Vote Yes” on Proposition 36 was held at 10 a.m. on Abbot Kinney in Venice on September 30 with representation from nearly 100 people from a disparate population that included local businessmen, residents, parents and government officials.
The people were strongly united in a core belief that passing Prop. 36 would help bring sanity back to the streets and undo some of the damage of Prop. 47, which passed in 2014.
“People have joined us from all over the city, county and state to stand together in support of restoring safety on our streets, protecting local businesses and saving lives,” said Traci Park, the 11th District Councilmember.
She acknowledged the diverse group – from residents “Michelle, I can only imagine how angry you are that your home was robbed, with your teenaged daughter home alone,” to store owners “Bob, Daryl, I know your businesses are constantly hit with break-ins,” to a restaurant owner “Christy, thank you for coming all the way from Sherman Oaks. I know your restaurant has been hit again and again.”
Park also acknowledged parents had lost children to Fentanyl, and that there were no penalties for those selling it. “Ally, I know nothing will bring Zelly Rose back. She will forever be 25 years old. But we are all here today to send a message that we aren’t okay with fentanyl dealers stealing our loved ones.”
City and state officials that were on the street in front of Nati, a business in Venice, included San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, L.A. 12th District City Councilman John Lee, San Gabriel Mayor John Wu, Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock, Beverly Hills Mayor Lester Friedman, Mayor Pro Tem of Artesia Ali Taj, Long Beach City Councilmember Kristina Duggan, Calabasas Mayor Alicia Weintraub and District Attorney candidate Nathan Hochman.
Also supporting Prop. 36 are City Firefighters, represented by President of the United Firefighters Freddy Escobar.
In 2023, LAFD responded to more than 66,000 homeless-related calls (180 calls a day). Paramedics responded to overdoses and mental health calls. Firefighters responded to homeless fires burning under freeways, people’s homes and even in a wildlife sanctuary, the Ballona Wetlands.
Escobar called Prop. 47 a social experiment that “has to end. Every bad thing on the news has LAFD there to ‘pick up the pieces.’”
Escobar said, “We’re tired of seeing the same criminals over and over.” He made a plea for victims. “It seems that we care more about a pimp than the 13- and 14-year-olds he’s turned into prostitutes.”
He added, “It’s time to stop sitting back and watching people kill over and over again.
“Everyone knows there are no consequences for crime, and we have state legislators who don’t want to do the right thing,” Escobar said. He then repeated his message in Spanish for the Latino community.
“Prop. 47, titled the ‘Safe Neighborhoods and Schools,’ was designed to trick voters and promised it would save money by releasing criminals from jail,” Park said. “We all watched as Los Angeles slipped into chaos, driven by reckless ideology, treating criminals as victims, and police as the enemy in a failed social experiment that made our city and state less safe.”
She added, “whatever money we saved from letting criminals go free doesn’t come close to what it is costing taxpayers to manage the mess that 47 created. We’ve strained our city resources beyond the brink.”
LAPD Officer Debbie Thomas, who is the director of the LA Police Protective League said she represented 9,000 officers who support Prop. 36.
“Fueling the drug epidemic is the crime epidemic,” Thomas said. “Addicts steal to support their addiction. They are not held accountable for their addictions or their crimes. It’s time for Prop. 36.”
Councilmember Lee said, “We have to get back on the right track. Residents have been subjected to the whims of crime. Californians can choose to say, ‘enough is enough.’ Support Prop. 36 and bring sanity back to the state.”
Mayor John Wu spoke. (Left to right) Phil Brock, Nathan Hochman, Matt Mahan, Councilmember John Lee, Wu, unidentified firefighter, Freddy Escobar and members of the community.
Mayor Wu said that 60 percent of his city is Asian, “the silent majority.” He supports Prop. 36 because “it offers a solution. Addicts get the help they need rather than recycling on and off the streets. It would give addicts a chance to recover.” He then repeated his message in Mandarin and Cantonese for his constituency.
Park repeated the sentiments of many. “Brazen thieves are breaking into people’s cars, their homes in broad daylight. They don’t even care if you’re there. They are stealing whatever they want from local stores, because thanks to Prop. 47 there aren’t any consequences.
“Retail is shutting down all over California, taking jobs and livelihoods. Local businesses are holding on by a thread and consumers are the ones paying the price at the checkout counter. We cannot continue on this path.
“It is clear that eliminating consequences for bad behavior, ignoring realty and normalizing crime doesn’t help anyone,” Park said. “By imposing actual consequences for repeat thieves, Prop. 36 will help us get meth and fentanyl dealers off the streets and help save lives by getting people into addiction recovery.”
She added, “It’s up to us to restore sanity and common sense to our criminal justice system and end this failed experiment. Vote ‘Yes’ on Prop. 36.”
Less than a block from the rally, this homeless person was sleeping in front of a store.