SACRAMENTO — An initiative was submitted Monday to Attorney General Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown that would strengthen laws slashing street crime and gang activity in California.

The measure known as The Safe Neighborhoods Act: Protect Victims, Stop Gangs & Thugs, was authored by Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster; Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster; Mike Reynolds, the author of Three Strikes; and San Bernardino County 4th District Supervisor Gary Ovitt.

The Runners had great success after authoring the Jessica’s Law initiative, which strengthened punishments and restriction for sex offenders and was overwhelmingly passed by voters in November.

An initiative is a way to bypass the legislature and bring an issue directly to the voters.

Brown will now have 45 days to give title and summary on the bill, and then the Runners and supporters of the initiative will have four months to collect 430,000 valid signatures.
The Runners said their goal is 600,000.

The Runners said the estimated cost of the process is $1.4 million and if all goes well the initiative will be on the November 2008 ballot.

“We saw a series of bills that we thought were very important that were bottled up and held up by the state legislature,” Sen. Runner said. “We just feel like the people of California need to involve themselves.”

The initiative, if passed, would create intervention and rehabilitation programs that will be held publicly accountable; enhance penalties for gang members, felons with guns, methamphetamine dealers and other street thugs; guarantee tools and resources for law enforcement; and protect victims and their families.

“It is very frustrating to have to take these things to the public,” said Runner. “Because we believe this is what the legislature should be doing.”