LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Over the past week, the city councils for both Clearlake and Lakeport have passed resolutions opposing Proposition 57, which appears on the November ballot.

Gov. Jerry Brown has put forward the proposition – titled “The Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2016” – to save money, focus on serious crime and promote rehabilitation.

However opponents like the Lake County Law Enforcement Chiefs Association say that the act will do just the opposite, and that it's actually an attempt to reduce the state's prison population.

They said it will send more dangerous felons back onto the streets faster by ending sentencing enhancements and allowing quicker release for a host of crimes that are violent in nature, including arson, solicitation for murder, taking a hostage and more.

They also believe that Proposition 57 will only compound the crime-related issues at the local level that have arisen with the state's criminal justice realignment and 2014's Proposition 47, which reduced numerous felony crimes to misdemeanors.

Additional information about local law enforcement's concerns can be found at http://bit.ly/2eU7a6o .

Due to the concerns about public safety, the League of California Cities urged members to pass resolutions against Proposition 57.

The Clearlake City Council was the first of Lake County's two cities to do that, voting for a resolution to oppose the proposition at its Thursday evening meeting.

Lt. Tim Celli, Clearlake Police's acting chief, read a letter from the California Police Chief Association outlining that organization's concerns about the measure, in particular, dramatic crime increases the state already has seen due to Proposition 47. Celli also pointed to the local chiefs association's opposition.

Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen, who chairs the Lake County Law Enforcement Chiefs Association, spoke to the Clearlake City Council on Thursday, asking for it to take a stand against Proposition 57.

Rasmussen said that, if passed, Proposition 57 will result in a lot of prisoners returning to the community, with no additional help for local law enforcement.

Councilman Nick Bennett, a retired Clearlake Police sergeant, said Proposition 57 is a continuation of what was started with realignment and Proposition 47, and guaranteed everyone will be impacted by it.

He said it “tears at the very fabric of our society.”

Bennett moved to approve the resolution, which passed 3-0, with two council members absent.

Then, on Tuesday night, the Lakeport City Council considered a similar resolution.

This time, it was Rasmussen's turn to present it to his council, with Celli traveling from Clearlake to offer his support.

Rasmussen outlined how the proposition would change the parole considerations for felons in state prisons, gave an abbreviated list of the crimes that someone could be convicted of and be considered for release, and pointed to the opposition from local and state law enforcement groups.

He said he believes it goes too far in changing sentencing laws, and noted that it will only make worse issues that law enforcement is dealing with now.

“We don't believe it will make our community in Lake County any safer, and we believe it will bring back dangerous felons to our communities earlier,” said Rasmussen.

Councilman Kenny Parlet said he found it incomprehensible that Proposition 57 is “getting dumped onto us.”

Celli told the council he was on hand to support Rasmussen. “I think it's worthwhile that we take our communities back,” said Celli, adding that citizens are passionate about public safety.

Referring to the Clearlake City Council's adoption of the similar resolution opposing Proposition 57 last week, Celli said, “I'm very proud of that,” explaining that the proposition won't make the community safer.

Community member Michael Froio also weighed in, adding that he believes the proposition is deceptive and bad for a small community.

Councilman Martin Scheel said he's spoken about Proposition 57 to Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman and Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin, who vehemently oppose it.

Scheel added that he can't find anyone among his colleagues on other cities councils who support it.

The council voted 5-0 to pass the resolution against Proposition 57.

Rasmussen asked to get a signed copy of the resolution on Wednesday so he can circulate it.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.