SUPERVISOR GARY OVITT SUBMITS GANG INITITATIVE PETITIONS TO REGISTRAR OF VOTERS > Safe Neighborhoods Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jana Saastad

Thursday, April 24, 2008
Phone: (916) 337-7098

SUPERVISOR GARY OVITT SUBMITS GANG INITITATIVE PETITIONS TO REGISTRAR OF VOTERS

Safe Neighborhoods Act targeted for November Ballot

SAN BERNARDINO – County Supervisors Gary Ovitt and Dennis Hansberger along with and Upland Mayor John "JP" Pomierski today submitted 51,000 signatures for a November ballot measure, the Safe Neighborhoods Act, to the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters.

"Voters across San Bernardino County and the entire state have enthusiastically responded to this ballot measure," said Supervisor Ovitt, coauthor of the measure, along with State Senator George Runner and Mike Reynolds, the father of the "Three Strikes" Law. "Our residents are tired of the increase in gang activity. A night never passes without a story on the news that involves gang violence and the innocent people left in its wake."

The Safe Neighborhoods Act: Stop Gang, Gun, and Street Crime, is a comprehensive measure that increases punishment for gang and street criminals; establishes sustainable funding for California law enforcement; pays for 21st century tools like GPS monitoring and central gang databases; prevents youths from heading down the wrong path, and protects victims and their families.

The Safe Neighborhoods Act has been in circulation since late January and needs 435,000 valid petition signatures to qualify for the November ballot. The petitions, which are due next week, are being submitted to each county in the state this week for verification of signatures. Once the signatures have been verified by the county registrars, the Safe Neighborhoods Act will become a qualified proposal for the November ballot.

Some of the provisions of the Safe Neighborhoods Act would do the following:

Increase penalties for felons and gang members with guns;
Heighten penalties for criminal accomplices;
Prohibit bail for illegal aliens charged with violent or gang crimes;
Strengthen Section 8 Housing compliance;
Toughen laws for methamphetamine distribution and sales;
Protect witness testimony;
Punish smugglers of prison contraband;
Create a statewide gang registry;
Establish the "Use a gun and lose a car" law;
Create the Early Intervention & Rehabilitation Commission;
Allow counties (that are under federal court order to release jail inmates) to operate temporary jail facilities;
Impose felony penalties on serial graffiti offenders;

Learn more at www.safeneighborhoodsact.com

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