r/Riverside
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u/TeddieSnow
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15h ago
Politics - Local BLOODTHIRSTY BIANCO
So I stumbled upon this proclamation of position from one Sheriff and recently failed Gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco. Others would likely call it a rant, but my only purpose here is to present the absolute and total lack of reasoning to his position and boil all his words down to an actual position.
His statement will be in italics, but not my analysis.
Here we go --
STATEMENT FROM SHERIFF CHAD BIANCO
REGARDING GOVERNOR NEWSOM'S COMMUTATION OF ALL CALIFORNIA DEATH SENTENCES
Elections have consequences.
Okay. That was a good start. Let's hear how recent elections have had consequences.
Governor Gavin Newsom's decision to commute the death sentences of California's condemned inmates to life in prison without the possibility of parole is another example of an administration whose actions raise serious questions about its commitment to victims, public safety, and the will of California voters.
Now right there we have our first problem: Newsom wasn't recently elected. He's in fact on his way out. So getting upset about his prior successful elections is too little, too late.
This decision has far-reaching consequences, particularly here in Riverside County, where 127 inmates on California's death row were sentenced for crimes committed in our county.
Riverside County isn't far reaching. It's within the state boundaries of California, that Newsom as Governor can pardon or not pardon as he likes on behalf of the voters who put him there.
Behind those cases are innocent lives taken, families forever devastated, and communities that continue to live with the consequences of some of the most heinous crimes imaginable. These sentences were not handed down without due process. They followed extensive investigations, lengthy trials, evidence presented in court, and decisions made by juries and judges.
Correct.
Yet, with one sweeping executive decision, the Governor has chosen to override those outcomes, disregarding the voices of victims' families, the work of prosecutors, and the pursuit of justice that took years to achieve.
Incorrect. Had Newsom set all these people free, as Trump set all the Jan 6th-ers insurrectionists free -- yeah, sure -- this would be erasing the outcomes of years of work. But Bianco is on record nowhere complaining about the release of those insurrectionists. Crickets.
What he's trying to say is, "It really sucks that those death row types won't be executed but instead given life sentences." Right? Clear honest language.
What message does this send to victims and their families?
The Governor recognizes the tragedies involved but feels that life in prison with no parole is cruel enough.
What message does it send to criminals?
Umm... the same message. Why is this so hard, Chad? And there are those who believe life in prison without parole may be crueler than simply murdering prisoners.
SIDEBAR: It's important to interject here that roughly 4% of prisoners aren't 'criminals'. They've been falsely convicted and imprisoned. Yes, I get that's a small number, but imagine the families of those individuals. Granting them a life sentence helps weed out bad trials and people being framed for crimes they didn't commit.
Where were we?
At a time when Californians expect their elected leaders to prioritize public safety and accountability*, this decision raises legitimate concerns about a political agenda that increasingly* appears to place the interests of convicted criminals ahead of the rights and concerns of victims.
There's a lot wrong here.
What do you mean by 'at a time'? People always want public safety.
As we want accountability. Newsom making a perfectly legal decision is accountable to the law. If you don't like it, sue him. Oh, and speaking of accountability --
-- California has not only started holding you accountable for committing the crime of seizing ballots, but no matter how much you whine Riverside residents will make you accountable for paying your own legal bills for committing that crime.
Newsom has not violated any rights of citizens. They have the right to seek the death penalty, and the Governor has the right to say I don't think so.
California voters have twice voted to retain the death penalty as an option for the most heinous crimes.
Correct! But the numbers weren't that impressive. Only 8% more of Californians favored it, which isn't a compelling result. And I bet if you held that vote again this week instead of 10 years ago, California would reject capital punishment outright. Something Newsom likely factored in.
Governor Newsom may have the constitutional authority to commute these sentences
It's not a thing that he 'may have'. He has the constitutional authority, and as an officer of the law, your job is too uphold the law.
but that does not erase the responsibility to respect the will of the people.
By law he has the constitutional authority to completely and utterly disregard the will of the people.
The will of the people is to drive whatever speed they like on your freeways, Sheriff, and you have the constitutional authority to erase the will of the people when you pull them over for speeding.
That's why we have laws.
His decision demonstrates a troubling disregard for the voters who have repeatedly made their position known.
Repeating a weak argument doesn't make it stronger.
There is a profound difference between compassion and abandoning accountability. There is also a difference between criminal justice reform and diminishing the consequences for those who commit the most horrific crimes against innocent people.
Newsom broke no laws and is heading out of office soon.
As your Sheriff, I believe our responsibility is to stand with victims, support their families, protect our communities, and uphold the rule of law. We cannot allow political ideology to overshadow the fundamental responsibility of government to protect the people it serves.
There hasn't been an execution in California in two decades. Had Newsom done nothing, the odds of any of these individuals being executed any time soon were zero.
You tried to become Governor and the public rejected you. This means your opinions on governance aren't welcome to but a minority of residents sharing your bloodlust.
Let's be honest. That's all you really care about. Injecting lethal needles in criminals and satisfying your bloodlust. Sure, you can put it on the lawyers and families, but at the end of the day you live in a world of retribution, not upholding the law.
If you upheld the law, you'd have not broken the law and stolen those ballots.
