Well there goes the neighborhood

[bigredfish]

They also no longer arrest theives for stealing merchandise with a value of less than $950 in CA.

I'm sure it will all work out well....

 

[TL1096r]

This is how I imagine OP right now:

 

[stevejay]

HA! Dude thats California..... our little social experiment. They dont arrest you for trivial things like drug use or being a fugitive from the Feds, ...................... but dont get caught with a plastic straw!

What I wonder is: suppose a homeless guy is caught snorting cocaine ... through a plastic straw. Which law is he charged with violating in that case? In this state, I'm pretty sure it would be violating the ban on plastic straws (which probably carries a stiffer penalty, anyhow.)

 

[area651]

In CA, possession of meth in amounts considered to be "for personal use" has now been reduced to a very minor misdemeanor. It's about on the level of sipping an open can of beer in public. Hard to get the cops to roll out on that. If you call 911 to report it, they will instantly dump you off to the "Non-emergency line" and I'm pretty sure that the cops never hear about those calls. The political structure here does not want enforcement against any crimes committed by vagrants. Therefore, when talking to 911 operator about illegal activity, it's critical to never use the word "homeless" nor give any specific description of the perpetrator that sounds like they may be, such as "crazy guy pushing a shopping cart" or "drug addict who lives in bushes at the end of the street," etc etc. If the operator suspects that who you're calling about is a vagrant, you'll never get any police response ...

Never depend on the govt or the police to totally take care of you.

Just keep in mind that sometime "accidents happen" and problems solve themselves

 

[Xeddog]

What I wonder is: suppose a homeless guy is caught snorting cocaine ... through a plastic straw. Which law is he charged with violating in that case? In this state, I'm pretty sure it would be violating the ban on plastic straws (which probably carries a stiffer penalty, anyhow.)

If the homeless guy turned out to be an illegal, the officer would probably have to respond "On behalf of the State of Kalifornia, please accept our sincerest apologies."