We need to ask ourselves if we: a) need to spend that much money and b) are we getting the most from our tax dollars.
We need to ask ourselves, what would we do if we were City Prosecutor or City Attorney. So today, I answer:
If I were City Prosecutor, I would:
- Start showing the voters what I do with their monies. This would mean including statistics showing how many cases filed and how many won and caseloads for each of the attorneys in the office.
- Explain why I spend funds on brochures and office redecoration.
- Really take domestic violence cases seriously.
- Step up local environmental prosecution.
- Step up code enforcement prosecution.
- Set up an Office of Public Integrity to handle complaints about public official misconduct and Brown Act violations and other violations of the City Charter.
- or alternatively -- merge the office of City Prosecutor with the Office of City Attorney or dissolve the Office of City Prosecutor and let the City contract out to private law firms for prosecution of misdemeanor crimes in Long Beach.