Homelessness, Crime and fentanyl focus of Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce's Legislative Summit

Kim Harris

Managing Editor

Editor's note; In light of the importance of the information covered during the Tuesday, April 12, Legislative Summit, and the impact on the Valley News coverage area, we will do a two-part series on the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce sponsored event. In part one, Valley News shares the information relayed to those in attendance by Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin. Up next week, Sheriff Chad Bianco and Murrieta Police Chief Tony Conrad.

Enforcing the law in a polarizing society was the subject of the Tuesday, April 12, Legislative Summit presented by the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Moderated by former Murrieta City Councilman Gene Wunderlich, speakers Sheriff Chad Bianco, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin and Murrieta Chief of Police Tony Conrad spoke about homelessness and the challenges the state faces due to the ongoing problem. The three also addressed the fentanyl epidemic and the unique challenges they face enforcing the law following the passage of such legislation as Prop 47 and AB 109 by California voters.

Hestrin took to the podium to discuss three important issues currently facing Riverside County, the state of California and the nation: the fentanyl crisis, homelessness and increasing crime.

Fentanyl crisis

According to Hestrin, the fentanyl crisis that is sweeping across the country is killing people in record numbers.

"Our county has not been immune," he said, adding that in 2016 there were only two deaths related to fentanyl. "Last year, according to the coroner's office, according to the sheriff, in 2021, we had over 500. The numbers are quite stunning. It's been doubling every year."

Fentanyl, Hestrin said, is so lethal that two milligrams are fatal to the human body.

"There are 5,000 milligrams in a teaspoon and our law enforcement personnel from all agencies are seizing kilos and hundreds of pounds of this substance that is pouring over our porous southern border," Hestrin, who has in the past been vocal about the problem, said. "Our federal government isn't doing anything about it and they need to."

Hestrin said fentanyl was a poison that is coming into "all our communities."

"It's our children and nieces and nephews and our loved ones that are dying and being cut down and that is just the reality of it," he said.

Hestrin said Riverside County is leading the way in California when it comes to prosecuting those who provide victims with the fentanyl that ultimately kills them.

"The reason we are able to do that, I'll tell you, is our sheriff," he said. "Our sheriff acted very quickly and has been a leader in the state in investigating fentanyl deaths as murders."

Hestrin said that the investigation work done by Bianco allows him and his staff to prosecute the cases as murders, something that is important because taking a tough stance, while it may not solve the problem, is part of the solution.

"People are talking about our approach and more importantly drug dealers are talking about our approach," he said, adding that he had heard from those involved in the rehabilitation community saying that they can't be selling fentanyl laced drugs in Riverside County anymore.

"That's what I want to hear," he said. "That's music to my ears. ... I don't wish this on anybody, but my job is to protect the people of this county and we are going to do that through the vigorous enforcement of the law."

Hestrin said that the state needs legislation on fentanyl, but he knew it would be next to impossible to get it.

"I know we don't have a snowball's chance in hell because our legislature doesn't want to put in any laws that increase punishments, but we are going to need this," he said. "This is not going to stop; it's going to keep getting worse and all you elected officials are going to keep hearing about it."

Eventually the state is "going to have to get their act together" and do something about the fentanyl crisis, Hestrin said.

Hestrin recommended a law that states trafficking fentanyl resulting in death wouldn't have to prove murder, that the act alone was enough to hold someone accountable. He said that there were a lot of "hoops" prosecutors had to jump through to prove those murder charges against those selling fentanyl to unsuspecting victims.

"We need a legislative fix to kind of help us with those gray area cases," he said.

Homelessness

Hestrin said that homelessness, while not a new issue, was an issue on everyone's minds and that it has proliferated throughout the area in recent years.

"If you drive through LA you see tent cities, it looks like some place you don't want to be present," he said. "We can't let that happen here in our county."

Hestrin said the passage of Prop 47 in 2014 and AB 109, passed in 2012 contributed to the problem of homelessness throughout the state.

"These legislative fixes from a decade ago, those two pieces of legislation, have put us where we are with homelessness," he said. "Homelessness is primarily driven by two main factors, mental health and substance abuse and a combination of the two. Many of our homeless are suffering from these terrible scourges and my heart goes out to them. I feel great compassion for people who are homeless, but if those are the real causes then the state's efforts thus far, by providing homes and building more housing is not going to work."

Hestrin said it's logic to assume that if mental health and drug abuse are causing the problem then building new houses at what he called an "astronomical cost" would not work.

"It's not a sustainable solution," he said.

While Hestrin is not a supporter of Governor Gavin Newsom, he did say that when Newsom said, "We have to coerce the homeless to treatment," he was "absolutely" right.

"In the old days when we would have someone come in hopelessly addicted to drugs there was leverage. They could go to jail for that, and we would say go get treatment and we will drop all the charges," he said. "We aren't trying to put people in jail and long-term jail for drug addicts is probably not the best use of our resources. But now we have no leverage, and they are just going to all walk away."

Hestrin said there has to be consequences for the homeless and those who are homeless due to addiction.

"The courts have to be involved. We have to find a way to have some incarceration, maybe it's short term, maybe it's three days, maybe it's five, maybe it's a week or two, something that says if you walk away there are going to be consequences," he said. "We have to do that. We have to get people into the treatment they need."

Crime trends

Hestrin went on to address trends in law enforcement, saying that Californians are facing crime like they have never seen before.

"In 2020 the murder rate is up nationwide, 27%; in California it was up 31%," he said. "In one year. These are numbers we've never seen before."

Hestrin, whose statistics came from the California Department of Justice and the LA County Sheriff said in the last two years, 2020 and 2021, the murder rate in Los Angeles County increased by 94%.

"That is unbelievable, we have never seen anything like that," he said. "Those same two years, our homicide rate in Riverside County was down 16%."

Hestrin said the difference was policy wise; the law needed to be enforced and in Riverside County the sheriff did just that.

"He arrests people who break the law; we have a great sheriff," he said. "We have police chiefs across this county who do their jobs and enforce the law."

Hestrin said the job of public safety is to keep people safe and keep crime rates down. Hestrin said that it's not one size fits all but that when people break the law, he will continue to prosecute them to keep the community safe.

"It's a long-term project when we talk about crime prevention," he said. "I am going to keep enforcing the law because that is what keeps our people safe and builds thriving communities."