Why the Next Mayor's Plan to Fund the Police Will Not Work

The majority of L.A.'s mayoral candidates aim to invest in the police to fight crime, but the real solution is to invest in the community.

The ongoing mayoral election in Los Angeles has a surprisingly conservative approach to the issue of policing, a sharp contrast from the push to defund the police years prior. Although the candidates are left-sided, the majority wishes to increase funding for the police in L.A.

With an uptick in crime as a result of the pandemic, voters want to increase public safety but a stronger police force is not the answer. Investing more in the police takes away funding that can be given to L.A. neighborhoods to heal the community and address its issues head-on.

The two front runners of the election, California Congressional Rep. Karen Bass and billionaire CEO Rick Carusco, have different strategies for policing. According to her website, Bass plans to increase funding for the police but also invest in community organizations. Carsuco’s platforms share that he plans to strengthen L.A.’s police force as well, but shows no promise to invest in community programs, a resource proven to be successful in lowering crime. 

Activist and community organizers Gina Viola and Alex Gruenenfelder are the only candidates who stand firm in their plan to defund the police if elected into office, a position that is seemingly less popular among Angelenos.

The Pat Brown Institute at California State University, Los Angeles, conducted a 2022 survey of the Latino community, who make up roughly half of L.A.’s residents. It found that a third of the Latino population agrees with investing in the police, compared to a fifth of the population that agrees with defunding them.

A growing concern for public safety has moved to the forefront of public policy over the last few years, but strengthening L.A.’s police force will have the opposite effect of lowering crime. It will leave marginalized communities over-policed and vulnerable, predominantly in low-income areas. Reports of police brutality will increase among Black and Brown residents. Unhoused individuals will continue to be victims of sweeps and police raids, and mistrust between police and L.A. residents will continue to make a rift in the community.

Bill Przylucki is the Executive Director of GroundGameLA, a 501c grassroots organization aimed at supporting marginalized communities in L.A. He has seen the negative effects of a stronger police presence with the city’s unhoused community. “A lot of what we're investing police resources and engaging in [are] things like sweeps, and other sorts of the criminalization of the results of having to exist without a permanent home.”

Przylucki believes that pouring resources into the community can directly address the issues and help rebuild. “If we were to take that money away from policing and put it towards housing, there would be far fewer calls generated, that right now the police are responding [to].”

The same strategy can be applied to reducing crime in L.A. neighborhoods. The John Jay College of Criminal Justice conducted a study of anti-violence programs across the U.S., to see how they improved the safety and health of the major cities they were in. Their research proved that anti-violence initiatives and organizations like GroundGameLA successfully improve public safety when they are properly funded to develop infrastructure in low-income communities, build relations between the local police and residents, and more.

“lf we address these issues, through programs that were restorative and constructive…it would be very reasonable to have a much smaller police budget,” said Przylucki.

GroundGameLA also aims to use the mayoral election to make a change in the community by endorsing Gina Viola, whose vision aligns with their goal. “Having a candidate who stands behind those issues…gives us a chance to actually engage voters in [and] around the idea, that vision for a way forward around policing,” said Pryzlucki. 

As for the rest of the SMC voting community, it’s important to understand that a stronger police force does not equate to a safer city. Consider voting for mayoral candidates like Rep. Bass and Gina Viola who plan to fund anti-violence initiatives. L.A. must confront the issues head-on and invest directly in the community to see a positive change for everyone.