Contra Costa County, California won’t prosecute assaults, thefts, and burglaries due to budget crisis

(San Francisco Chronicle) MARTINEZ — Misdemeanors such as assaults, thefts and burglaries will no longer be prosecuted in Contra Costa County because of budget cuts, the county’s top prosecutor said Tuesday.

District Attorney Robert Kochly also said that beginning May 4, his office will no longer prosecute felony drug cases involving smaller amounts of narcotics. That means anyone caught with less than a gram of methamphetamine or cocaine, less than 0.5 grams of heroin and fewer than five pills of ecstasy, OxyContin or Vicodin won’t be charged.

People who are suspected of misdemeanor drug crimes, break minor traffic laws, shoplift, trespass or commit misdemeanor vandalism will also be in the clear. Those crimes won’t be prosecuted, either.

The changes are needed to help eliminate a $1.9 million budget deficit in the district attorney’s office for this fiscal year. By month’s end, six deputy district attorneys will be laid off, and 11 more will have to be let go by the end of the year, Kochly said.

The county Board of Supervisors originally proposed cutting the office’s budget by $4.1 million. But after Kochly argued that such a reduction would hurt his ability to prosecute petty thefts, the board used sales-tax revenue to close the gap.

Kochly said prosecutors will still consider charging suspects with certain misdemeanors, including domestic violence, driving under the influence, firearms offenses, vehicular manslaughter, sex crimes and assault with a deadly weapon.

Marijuana is already decriminalized in California, so Contra Costa isn’t using resources to prosecute marijuana.  I’m also personally glad to see personal posession of other drugs no longer taking up police and prosecutorial resources.  But to let crimes with actual victims – people who are beaten and stolen from – go unprosecuted in unacceptable!  Why not just legalize the marijuana and tax it so you can raise the money to bust vandals, shoplifters, bad drivers, trespassers, thieves, burglars, and violent people?

The California Board of Equalization has already said Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s AB 390, the proposal to legalize marijuana in California, would raise $1.3 billion statewide (we think it’s closer to $2.5 billion), not to mention all the ancillary jobs and industries and tourism that would be generated.  Trust me, you’d much rather have pot tourists than thieves and vandals.