This is a good example of how the entrenched culture of entitlement that exists in liberal states leads to surreal government policies that creates the impetus for Blue state population drain which is in part responsible for the budget shortfalls in the first place.

Remember that the people that decided to cut prosecutions have access to all sorts of perks (like government cars, generous pensions etc) that they won’t be cutting. From SFGate:

Misdemeanors such as assaults, thefts and burglaries will no longer be prosecuted in Contra Costa County because of budget cuts, the county’s top prosecutor said Tuesday.

District Attorney Robert Kochly also said that beginning May 4, his office will no longer prosecute felony drug cases involving smaller amounts of narcotics. That means anyone caught with less than a gram of methamphetamine or cocaine, less than 0.5 grams of heroin and fewer than five pills of ecstasy, OxyContin or Vicodin won’t be charged.

People who are suspected of misdemeanor drug crimes, break minor traffic laws, shoplift, trespass or commit misdemeanor vandalism will also be in the clear. Those crimes won’t be prosecuted, either.

A city where it is known you can basically walk around with Meth won’t attract a criminal element at all. And who would think that not prosecuting shoplifters or vandals will eventually drive businesses out of the county? I mean kids breaking windows and stealing things from shops will just give those businesses a certain cache, a hipness that Californians pride themselves in.

As for trespassing, finding someone on your property who doesn’t belong there never leads to other crimes right? I mean it’s not like trespassers are thieves and rapists…

“We had to make very, very difficult choices, and we had to try to prioritize things. There are no good choices to be made here,” said Kochly, a 35-year veteran prosecutor. “It’s trying to choose the lesser of certain evils in deciding what we can and cannot do.”

Barry Grove, a deputy district attorney who is president of the Contra Costa County District Attorneys Association, said, “There’s no question that these kinds of crimes are going to drastically affect the quality of life for all the citizens of Contra Costa County.”

The decision not to go after any perpetrators of certain offenses, Grove said, amounts to “holding up a sign and advertising to the criminal element to come to Contra Costa County, because we’re no longer going to prosecute you.”

So then why do it? Are we to believe government couldn’t cut anything else? Or is it more likely that the entrenched interests that run government is willing to let citizens suffer so their pet projects and big salaries don’t get cut? Announcing to the world that Methheads who like to trespass, vandalize other people’s property and steal from bodegas won’t be prosecuted is declaring open season on the citizens who will be preyed upon by these cretin.

Of course the D.A.’s office isn’t really to blame, and they are losing almost 20 workers due to cuts. But why is Contra Costa County cutting part of it’s law enforcement as opposed to entitlement programs or government worker perks? Why can’t the laid off prosecutors simply take pay cuts instead?

I don’t have their budget on hand but I’m betting I could trim the fat without effecting public safety. Why can’t Contra Costa County?