An important responsibility of government is to ensure safe communities by providing high quality public safety services. Yet, decisions in the State Capitol seem to prioritize protecting criminals over families — and Kern County is suffering as a result.

Proposition 47 significantly weakened penalties for a number of crimes. This, combined with prison realignment—which flooded local jails with inmates from state prisons resulting in thousands of early releases—have turned our communities into a revolving door for criminals because there are no longer significant consequences for their actions. This has placed a tremendous strain on the work of California law enforcement and is causing violent crime to increase at an alarming level even as the rest of the country has experienced declines.

Parents should not have to worry about their kids walking to school but if current trends continue, this will become a sad reality. We need leaders in Sacramento who are willing to put public safety first — something I will do from day one if elected to serve.