A fresh slogan emerges in California: “Fund the Police Forever”
San Bernardino County enters the public safety discussion with a delayed response to demands for defunding law enforcement.
TroibNews 
The local government of a predominantly rural desert county just east of Los Angeles is encouraging voters to reject the notion of “Defund the Police” in favor of “Fund the Police Forever.”
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has approved a charter amendment aimed at “protecting the community from potential defunding of law enforcement services” while establishing a minimum funding level for officers serving the expansive unincorporated areas of the county.
This measure, known as Proposition L, will be included on the November ballot for Inland Empire county alongside Proposition 36, which has revived a broader conversation about crime and law enforcement statewide.
“We don’t ever want future boards of supervisors to be able to take public safety away in our very rural and remote areas of the county,” stated Supervisor Dawn Rowe, a nonpartisan affiliated with the Republican Party who represents the most unincorporated regions of the county.
In a recent interview, Rowe connected the local measure to discussions on statewide policies, particularly referencing Proposition 47, a 2014 initiative that reclassified certain non-violent property crimes as misdemeanors, which she views as an increased burden on her county. She pointed out that this measure has caused a rise in misdemeanor offenses locally.
In contrast to cities like San Francisco and San Jose, where local leaders have criticized the 2014 criminal justice initiative for being too lenient, San Bernardino’s unincorporated areas are unlikely to encounter significant retail theft issues.
These remote desert and mountain regions are often so isolated that they do not possess a sufficient number of consumer products to steal. Recent public data indicates that both violent and property crimes have decreased in unincorporated areas, although rates differ widely throughout the county.
San Bernardino, which leans Republican, is the largest county in the country by geographic area, covering conservative exurbs east of Los Angeles as well as the Mojave National Preserve and extensive desert towards the Arizona border.
This vastness presents genuine geographic and economic challenges for law enforcement. Over the years, San Bernardino County has struggled to retain officers, who have often accepted higher-paying positions in nearby Los Angeles and Orange counties, leading to understaffing issues. Additionally, the large area necessitates that officers patrol extensive regions. For instance, one police station in Needles must oversee 5,131 square miles, roughly comparable to the size of Connecticut. Recently, the county has raised officer salaries, and while vacancies remain, a certain level of staffing stability has been achieved.
The term “Defund the Police” gained traction as a rallying cry among civil rights activists following the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. While the movement has largely faded from practical policy discussions in recent years, it continues to affect political discourse. Locally, the charter amendment brings this debate back into focus.
Rowe notes that there is minimal contention within San Bernardino regarding the preservation of the police force, unlike in nearby Los Angeles, where Mayor Karen Bass faced criticism from progressives for increasing the LAPD’s pay. Currently, there is no organized campaign for or against the charter amendment. Although there have been no recent initiatives to reduce law enforcement funding, Rowe believes past proposals for such actions across the state serve as clear evidence of the potential threat.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations in the municipalities around us about defunding the police,” Rowe commented. “That’s not something we’re interested in. We want to say we favor public safety.”
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has approved a charter amendment aimed at “protecting the community from potential defunding of law enforcement services” while establishing a minimum funding level for officers serving the expansive unincorporated areas of the county.
This measure, known as Proposition L, will be included on the November ballot for Inland Empire county alongside Proposition 36, which has revived a broader conversation about crime and law enforcement statewide.
“We don’t ever want future boards of supervisors to be able to take public safety away in our very rural and remote areas of the county,” stated Supervisor Dawn Rowe, a nonpartisan affiliated with the Republican Party who represents the most unincorporated regions of the county.
In a recent interview, Rowe connected the local measure to discussions on statewide policies, particularly referencing Proposition 47, a 2014 initiative that reclassified certain non-violent property crimes as misdemeanors, which she views as an increased burden on her county. She pointed out that this measure has caused a rise in misdemeanor offenses locally.
In contrast to cities like San Francisco and San Jose, where local leaders have criticized the 2014 criminal justice initiative for being too lenient, San Bernardino’s unincorporated areas are unlikely to encounter significant retail theft issues.
These remote desert and mountain regions are often so isolated that they do not possess a sufficient number of consumer products to steal. Recent public data indicates that both violent and property crimes have decreased in unincorporated areas, although rates differ widely throughout the county.
San Bernardino, which leans Republican, is the largest county in the country by geographic area, covering conservative exurbs east of Los Angeles as well as the Mojave National Preserve and extensive desert towards the Arizona border.
This vastness presents genuine geographic and economic challenges for law enforcement. Over the years, San Bernardino County has struggled to retain officers, who have often accepted higher-paying positions in nearby Los Angeles and Orange counties, leading to understaffing issues. Additionally, the large area necessitates that officers patrol extensive regions. For instance, one police station in Needles must oversee 5,131 square miles, roughly comparable to the size of Connecticut. Recently, the county has raised officer salaries, and while vacancies remain, a certain level of staffing stability has been achieved.
The term “Defund the Police” gained traction as a rallying cry among civil rights activists following the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. While the movement has largely faded from practical policy discussions in recent years, it continues to affect political discourse. Locally, the charter amendment brings this debate back into focus.
Rowe notes that there is minimal contention within San Bernardino regarding the preservation of the police force, unlike in nearby Los Angeles, where Mayor Karen Bass faced criticism from progressives for increasing the LAPD’s pay. Currently, there is no organized campaign for or against the charter amendment. Although there have been no recent initiatives to reduce law enforcement funding, Rowe believes past proposals for such actions across the state serve as clear evidence of the potential threat.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations in the municipalities around us about defunding the police,” Rowe commented. “That’s not something we’re interested in. We want to say we favor public safety.”
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
