Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued the following statement today to share her perspective on the Los Angeles Superior Court’s new bail policy that will be effective October 1, 2023.
“Our Board of Supervisors had a lengthy conversation today with a variety of partners – including our Sheriff and representatives from the L.A. Superior Court, the District Attorney’s office and others – to transparently discuss what we are doing to prepare for the new bail schedule that takes effect October 1.
This is a confusing topic because there are so many players. The state legislature creates laws, courts create bail schedules, law enforcement agencies arrest those who break the law, the D.A. files criminal charges, and judges issue rulings. The County’s role is multifaceted since it involves multiple County entities and actors, including the Sheriff, D.A., Public Defender, Probation and our new Los Angeles County Justice Care and Opportunities Department (JCOD) – all who have distinct roles at various phases of criminal proceedings.
JCOD will provide care management, transportation support, outreach, and pretrial support so that individuals appear in court and get help to successfully reintegrate into society.
This topic is also a scary one. My constituents have voiced their fears and concerns, and many do not feel safe. Smash and grab crimes happen too often, and both large retail and small business owners are hurting. For many, livelihoods are on the line.
I’ve done what is in my power to address those concerns. In the past two years, I’ve allocated more than $2 million from my discretionary funds to increase Sheriff patrols in the communities I represent. I appreciate Governor Newsom’s recent allocation of $15,650,000 to the Sheriff’s Department to combat organized retail theft. It will go a long way to help our Sheriff’s Deputies methodically and systematically tackle those who are committing these egregious crimes.
Nothing exists in silos – everything is interconnected. Keeping communities safe means we all must be committed to enforcing the law and working within the law’s parameters.
I will continue to closely track the roll-out of the new bail schedule. That includes tracking whether those who are cited or booked and released show up to court and how the County delivers services and holds them accountable.”