L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca says deputies would enforce marijuana laws even if Prop. 19 passes

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said Friday his deputies’ marijuana enforcement would not change even if Proposition 19, which would legalize the drug in California, passes Nov. 2.

“Proposition 19 is not going to pass, even if it passes,” Baca said in a news conference Friday at sheriff's headquarters in Monterey Park.

Baca, whose department polices three-fourths of the county, was bolstered Friday by an announcement from the Obama administration that federal officials would continue to “vigorously enforce” marijuana laws in California, even if state voters pass the measure.

Baca said the proposition was superseded by federal law and if passed, would be found unconstitutional.

Campaign contributions: Who has given for and against Prop. 19? 

Flanked by other opponents of the measure, including Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, Baca made a colorful assault on marijuana use and sales. Asked if he had ever experimented with the drug, Baca was unequivocal. “Hell no,” he said.

Baca said legalizing marijuana would have far-reaching repercussions, including increasing the costs of drug rehabilitation, causing traffic accidents, prompting labor disputes with employees getting high on the job and providing a safe cover for drug cartels selling harder narcotics.

California’s laws for personal users already are lenient, he said.

“If you have a need for an ounce or less … then use your marijuana, but use it privately,” he said. “If you want to do a joint in your house, do it. Leave the rest of us alone.”

Baca said personal users smoking in their homes were already a non-priority for police agencies, including his own. His department’s target, he said, are the dealers.

Baca came out against the measure early on, joining forces with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to try to defeat it. Polls have shown California voters are split.

Baca said Friday local law enforcement agencies should abide by federal drug laws prohibiting marijuana even if the state measure passes.

“[Prop.] 19 has no effect on what we’re going to do,” he said

-- Robert Faturechi in Monterey Park

Photo: L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Read more:

Proposition 19: California's marijuana legalization debate

 

Comments

[dan]

If prop 19 passes and the state deputies prosecute against marijuana, wouldnt that technically be illegal? They are state employees which means that have to follow state laws, so by arresting people for cannabis they are breaking the law

[VOTE YES ON PROP 19]

corruption at the top? here is something I found on another site and it is true:
"Sheriff LeRoy Baca was subject to term limits, but prior to his last election, he filed a lawsuit to get out from under term limits. The Superior Court judge ruled in his favor (surprise!). Term limits are a prevention against corruption. The lawsuit was approved by the County Supervisors who paid for it with the taxpayers money; the taxpayers had previously voted in term limits, but it was overturned for Sheriff Baca. Sheriff LeRoy Baca is up for re-election June 8, 2010. No one is running against him. He makes $268,000 a year in this position."

SO I guess laws do not pertain to him and he has no respect for any law that is voted in by the people of California. When the cops disregard the law, there is no law. VOTE YES ON PROP 19

[jeanette]

sounds like if 19 passes, Los angeles County is in for a ton of lawsuits if baca refuses to play along.

[Gyaerny]

If arrested under federal law, any arrests done will have to go through federal courts. Feds are gonna love having to deal with an extra 25,000 cases!

[dog expert dan]

So much for state's rights and will of the people.

[steve]

Dangerous comments from a public servant, whats next he'll stop enforcing laws he doesn't like? Come on Chief do your job we all have to do things at work that we don't agree with stop the b.s. your comments have no teeth. Your underlings are wondering about your sanity.

[Dr. Richared P. Perry D.C.]

Sheriff Baca,
I have been watching you on the news and whether I agree with you or not on the marajuana issue, by the way I do agree with you, There is the medical issue here. If we worked so hard to do away with ciggeretts because they are known cancer causing agents then the problem here is marajuania is known to be 20 times more carcenogenic than tobacco. So are they saying now that we legealize marajuaina it's more acceptable to have lung, mouth, and throat cancer. We made the tobacco companies pay for that one so who is going to pay for this one, the people again. I don't believe I should have to pay for someone's stupidity. This could end up in trillions of dollars for treating cancer again. The idea that someone who took medications to kill her cancer now wants to give everyone cancer is just criminal. It is obvious that people are high and not looking at the facts. When you don't get the high from the marajuania what then legealize cocaine or heroin. Wrong is wrong and someone must step in and protect the stupid among us.

[Ian Olson]

This is absurd. Where has America's system of checks and balances gone? It is not the duty of law enforcement to interpret law, and certainly not their duty to decide which laws should or should not be enforced. Baca is paid by LA county, LA falls within the borders of California, therefore, he will abide by California's laws. This is merely another scare tactic just like the ones we've been seeing for the last 6 months. It is wrong, not to mention illegal:

CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS CODE
SECTION 18540. (a)
Every person who makes use of or threatens to make use
of any force, violence, or tactic of coercion or intimidation, to
induce or compel any other person to vote or refrain from voting at
any election or to vote or refrain from voting for any particular
person or measure at any election, or because any person voted or
refrained from voting at any election or voted or refrained from
voting for any particular person or measure at any election is guilty
of a felony punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16
months or two or three years.

[Lawrence Currier]

LOL, And he will still be sheriff even if he's voted out. And what happened to his brain cells???

[Ben Smokes Pot]

Chew Bacca arrrggggrrrr!

[Ben Smokes Pot]

Chew Bacca arrrggggrrrr!

[eddie too]

those who stand to lose the most if prop 19 is passed are law enforcement and court officials (because there will be less for them to do) and illegal marijuana importers, growers and dealers. all of the above stand to lose money if prop 19 succeeds.

[johnny Kay]

What a blooming IDIOT. There is a spot all pick out and waiting for this yahoo in the unemployment line. Protect and serve, DUMMY.. Enforce the laws that are on the books, laws put there by "The smart people"...And when THE PEOPLE speak, and pass a bill in state run elections...LISTEN.

[johnny Kay]

What a blooming IDIOT. There is a spot all pick out and waiting for this yahoo in the unemployment line. Protect and serve, DUMMY.. Enforce the laws that are on the books, laws put there by "The smart people"...And when THE PEOPLE speak, and pass a bill in state run elections...LISTEN.

[Elliot Ness]

Its time for California to seceed from the union. the feds are only holding us back. californians would be much better off as our own country.

[dixiedog]

That is so funny. He'll enforse FEDERAL drug laws but ignores FEDERAL immigration laws. what a doofus. once again cherry picking enforcement to suit "their" agenda

[John Smith]

The police are law enforcers, not law makers. If Baca oversees even one arrest non-compliant with California law on this issue, because he shows a blatant willingness to do so-- he needs to be arrested immediately and placed in federal custody for civil rights violations.

[Casey]

We're going to FORCE you to abide by the law, Braca. You will do what you are told, or you will suffer the consequences. You & Feinstein are the type of narrow-minded rats whose time has come.

Do not buy into these fool's scare tactics. Freedom will prevail & we will crush these Nazis.

[jeff Sanders]

Perhaps its time for propostion 20, a law to ban sheriff Lee Baca. Do the people of California want renegade law enforcement officers? When did the police start makingf the laws? If these comments made by the so called Sheriff dont make the people of california wake up, im not sure what will. If Mr Baca is so intense for repudiation of measure 19, perhaps he should run congress. Will Californias district attorneys also hop in bed with Baca and the DEA? What about the rights of the State of California? My message to Lee Baca, twist a fat one Lee, I think youd like it!

[Daria]

He made the meaningful point. If people want to smoke pot in their homes, let them. The police need to go after the meth dealers and heroine pushers and not bother college kids or young people. Back when I was a kid and I am fifty something now. Police gave the kids a fright and involved the parents not the courts. This is a waste of taxpayer dollars and it creates a permanent record for doing something harmless. The day prohibition ended crime went down. Time to stop running up the taxpayers bill and expecting more of law enforcement than petty tickets and harassing kids who are just being kids. Black,white or hispanic, they are just kids. Most of the police, most of our politicians smoked pot when they were young. It is not a crime unless we invent it to be one.

[expostie]

I really do wonder what the opinions expressed by the Federal Government, State Governments and the media were, when prohibition was repealed. I would be willing to bet the arguments were eerily similar.

People will start drinking on the job, there will be more traffic accidents, and so on. But I think it can be reliably argued that the existence of prohibition created the world of organized crime we deal with today. Irrational laws designed by irrational people driven by irrational thinking.

Now someone is going to tell me about the potheads who started a fight in the local bar last week, or the pot smoker who has just been imprisoned for beating his wife while in a vegetative state. On a scale of one to ten of drugs, legal and otherwise, that do harm to society, surely marijuana would have to be a ten.

[expostie]

"XXXX said legalizing beer would have far-reaching repercussions, including increasing the costs of alcohol rehabilitation, causing traffic accidents, prompting labor disputes with employees getting drunk on the job and providing a safe cover for whiskey cartels selling hard liquor."

What do youthink? Pretty close?

Only the names of the drugs have been changed.

[expostie]

Dr. Richared P. Perry D.C. tells us that marijuana is twenty times more carcinogenic than tobacco. We know that because he is a doctor? Doctor of letters I suspect.

Could the good Doctor provide us with the evidence for this claim. All the evidence I am familiar with has indicated the opposite to be true. Perhaps the good Doctor suffers from dixlexia?

[Blane Thair]

Vices are those acts by which a man harms himself or his property. Crimes are those acts by which one man harms the person or property of another. Vices are simply the errors which a man makes in his search after his own happiness. Unlike crimes, they imply no malice toward others, and no interference with their persons or property. In vices, the very essence of crime that is, the design to injure the person or property of another is wanting. It is a maxim of the law that there can be no crime without a criminal intent; that is, without the intent to invade the person or property of another. But no one ever practices a vice with any such criminal intent. He practices his vice for his own happiness solely, and not from any malice toward others. Unless this clear distinction between vices and crimes be made and recognized by the laws, there can be on earth no such thing as individual right, liberty, or property — no such things as the right of one man to the control of his own person and property. For a government to declare a vice to be a crime, and to punish it as such, is an attempt to falsify the very nature of things.

[Anonymous]

The LA county sherrif wont arrest you if you state that your Lindsy Lohan or Paris Hilton. or if your a drug using celebrity . LOL