Defund The Police? Inside CA Cities’ Responses

By Emily Hoeven, from CalMatters:

As Californians continue to protest police brutality against the black community, cities are grappling with how to best reform their police departments amid some residents’ demands they be defunded entirely.

Gov. Gavin Newsom took a stance on the issue Tuesday after a day of meeting with black community leaders and business owners in Oakland.

• Newsom: “If you’re calling for eliminating the police, no. If you’re talking about reimagining … the responsibility that we placed on law enforcement to be social workers and mental health workers and involved in disputes where a badge and a gun are unnecessary, I think absolutely this is an opportunity to look anew at all of the above.”

Here’s a closer look at how some of California’s largest cities have responded.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti pledged to redirect $250 million in city funds — including up to $150 million from the police department — to youth jobs, health initiatives and “peace centers.” San Francisco Mayor London Breed also plans to redirect police funding to support the black community, which the city’s police chief said he’s “open” to.

Meanwhile, the San Diego City Council on Monday approved Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s proposal to increase the city’s police budget by $27 million, despite more than 4,400 residents demanding the funding be used for rent relief, mental health services and supporting communities of color. (The council also agreed to create a new Office on Race and Equity.)

In San Jose, Mayor Sam Liccardo said he doesn’t plan to reduce the city’s police budget, arguing that cuts would put poorer communities at risk.

• Liccardo: “The unfortunate reality of the economic apartheid that has persisted for too long in this country is that communities of color are victimized with higher crime than other Americans. We have to be very conscious of what we’re doing in the name of reform.”

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg also rejected the idea of defunding or disbanding the police but suggested triaging 911 calls so officers aren’t involved in situations that don’t require law en

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