29 Cities In LA County Demand Freeze Of New Zero-Bail Protocol

LOS ANGELES, CA —Mayors and leaders from 29 different cities in Los Angeles County met last week to demand a freeze of the newly implemented zero-bail protocol and instead study smart bail reform.

Attendees at the roundtable meeting expressed they had concerns with the new system including safety issues, financial strain on cities bolstering crime prevention programs and the lack of community input prior to implementation.

"This new system puts a very real strain on the resources of our community and those of our police departments," said Irwindale Mayor Pro-Tem Albert Ambriz. "It is a system that strips accountability from those causing harm to our communities and prevents our local governments from protecting their residents. Simply put, it is a system that we all must stop and re-evaluate."

Beginning Oct. 1, police departments in the county were required to follow the new schedules that would have most suspects arrested for non-violent felonies and misdemeanors cited or booked and then released.

News of the new bail schedule was met with concern from residents and police agencies throughout the county who suggested the change would impact community safety.

According to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, 85 percent of individuals released under the No-Cash Bail system are deemed low-risk, which includes burglary, breaking and entering and drug dealing. However, as many as 20 percent of the people released go on to commit violent crimes during their pretrial period, according to data from the coalition of cities.

“No-Cash Bail was developed and introduced into L.A. County to address what many see as serious flaws in our justice system,” said Torrance City Councilwoman Bridgett Lewis. “However, the truth is, this may put many of those communities it was meant to help at greater risk. We can do better.”

Mayors and local leaders said they have had to increase funding for graffiti abatement, police overtime and additional patrols. They said their worry is the new system could have a long-term impact on basic city services.

City leaders also said the county didn't take any community feedback or input into account before the program was expanded and implemented countywide.

"As mayors and leaders in local government, we frequently engage in strong public discussion and conduct community meetings on topics as standard as street widening, establishing bike lanes, or even library hours," expressed Mayor Joe Vinatieri of Whittier. "Yet, a policy like No-Cash Bail, with direct implications for our public safety and the potential to reshape the ways in which we manage our cities, was introduced without any input from our communities and is an injustice to those we are here to serve and to keep safe."

The injunction filed by 29 LA County cities, which would freeze implementation of the new bail system, is set to be heard this month, officials said. Residents were invited to learn more about the injunction on the Whittier city website.