Police chiefs endorse Guerra

DOWNEY – After receiving an endorsement last week from the Downey Police Officers Association, Downey councilman and state senate candidate Mario Guerra has been endorsed by the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs’ Association. The association includes police chiefs from 45 independent cities throughout L.A. County who oversee 12,000 sworn police officers.

“Mario is the only candidate in this race who has a proven track record of working side-by-side with our men and women in uniform to reduce crime,” said Paul Cooper, chief of the Claremont Police Department and president of the association. “He worked tirelessly over the past four years, alone, to reduce crime by 25 percent. With both violent and non-violent crime rates on the rise with no end in sight, we need leaders who are going to put the public safety needs of communities before their own ambition. Leaders who will ensure that only legislation that will protect our citizens is passed – not legislation that protects criminals.

“AB 109 is a broken law and is putting the people we have sworn to protect in harm’s way, each day,” Cooper added. “Mario understands the importance of working with experts in the law enforcement community to craft legislation that protects all Californians.”

Guerra is running to represent the 32nd state senate district, which includes Downey, Norwalk, Artesia, Bellflower, Buena Park, Cerritos, Commerce, Hawaiian Gardens, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, Lakewood, Montebello, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, Whittier and local unincorporated communities.

“All families deserve the right to live in their communities without the fear of becoming a victim of crime,” said Guerra. “It is for that crucial reason that I have made public safety one of my top priorities – not only while serving the people of Downey on the City Council, but also as a candidate for state senate.

“The broken laws coming out of Sacramento, like AB 109, need to be amended or repealed. I stand with the chiefs to amend or repeal AB 109 because criminals should have to do the time for the crimes they committed. However, we cannot only handcuff our way out of the current crime problem. We need to work together in order to provide our children a true choice by affording them a quality education, because nothing stops a bullet like a job.”

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Published: April 3, 2014 - Volume 12 - Issue 51