West Hollywood has voted to reduce law enforcement funding amid a crime wave across the county.
In a narrow 3-2 vote, West Hollywood will be left with up to five fewer Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies on patrol but at the same time will receive increased funding for a cultural arts festival.
West Hollywood votes to cut Los Angeles County sheriff funding amid crime wave https://t.co/gaEZLxFNzH
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 29, 2022
“Most of the residents and businesses I have heard from are opposed to cutting the Sheriff’s budget,” Mayor Lauren Meister told Fox News in a statement, who dissented the vote. “They are outraged that people and organizations from outside our city are dictating to Council how to run our city. The narrative that we can have ‘either Sheriff’s or social services,’ or ‘either Sheriff’s or unarmed security teams’ is false.”
Residents and business owners in the trendy Los Angeles County community have repeatedly voiced opposition to cutting the police budget amid a crime wave amid rising crime rate across the county.
“Prioritizing peoples safety doesn’t just mean people with badges and guns on the street,” Councilmember Lindsey P. Horvath said during the meeting. “We have to find another way to keep our residents safe in a way that is affordable.”
Mayor Pro Tem Sepi Shyne re-allocated police funds to the Block by Block program, which staffs unarmed security ambassadors who provide the city with supplemental law enforcement services.
“We have all talked for two years about re-imagining policing and reimagining policing means reallocating funding and that’s exactly what that means – you can’t just say it without actually doing it. Period,” Mayor Pro Tempore Sepi Shyne said.
Erickson said he’s worried about the trajectory of the plan that was approved and the timeline with which it can be implemented.
“Community safety is our number one concern,” he told Fox News. “When I’ve heard from countless residents about how they want to feel safer, that involves comprehensive planning and something that is not just drawn out over a decision.”
Cops are growing frustrated with the Biden administration antagonizing the police and leftist media outlets pushing a false narrative against police officers.
Joe Gamaldi, Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police, recently said that the reason crime is at an all-time high is that law enforcement officers are getting ambushed more frequently due to leftist Democratic policies.
“When you have these people pushing these horrific policies, they don’t give a damn about the community. It’s agenda over people,” Gamaldi said. “Our communities are fed up. They’re pissed off. They want safe streets.”
