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.

Calling all Criminals-Move to Contra Costa County and steal and assault at will!

Is he just trying to make a point with his Board of Supervisors or has he gone wacko?

As Arthur Seaton says over at Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, "Every day Florida thanks the lord for California, as it makes Florida seem normal."

What can you do when you lose 17 assistant district attorneys?!

It's gotta be tough to lose so much staff, and since he is a 35 year man in our profession, I suspect he's simply trying to embarrass the Board of Supervisors into doing the right thing and giving him the funds he needs to fight crime.


Still, it's a shocking headline, but I suspect the good and decent people of that county are alot more shocked and scared than I am.

Obviously there is a limit with how much more you can do with less.

Whether announced or not, the limitations on prosecutions of certain crimes would soon enough become apparent to all in the community.

My suggestion would be that the best misdemeanor cases still be prosecuted. Across the board rejection merely because a case falls within a certain classification is indeed an invitation to anarchy and a return to privately-enforced justice.