RETIRED PEACE OFFICERS' ASSOCIATION OF MANTECA
ENDORSEMENTS
The RETIRED PEACE OFFICERS' ASSOCIATION OF MANTECA PROUDLY ENDORSES: LEI ANN LARSON
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The Retired Peace Officers Association of Manteca (RPOA) is proud to endorse Lei Ann Larson for Mayor of Manteca. Unlike other mayoral candidates, Lei Ann has never been convicted of any crimes. She has demonstrated her abilities as a community activist with Mantecans4Change and has put a spotlight on the problems on the issues in the community. Lei Ann and her supporters have sent countless correspondences to the city council, city attorney, and the current Mayor, in hopes of creating positive change for the family city we all live in. She has been involved with exposing numerous areas of concern within our community, such as having the lowest police staffing levels of any nearby city, the under-reporting of crimes, the misuse of general funds, and most recently, the discovery that the existing temporary shelter is not fit for overnight stays.
On June 3, 2020, Mayor Benjamin Cantu and Councilmember Gary Singh marched in solidarity with a group which three days prior, demanded a nationwide defunding of the police. MPD sworn staffing levels have remained at the same number (76), despite the exponential growth our city has seen in recent years. NOT ONE SINGLE POLICE OFFICER HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE EXISTING FORCE SINCE 2020, and the RPOA finds this unacceptable.
In 2019, according to the Criminal Justice Information Services Division of the FBI, Manteca had 8.9 sworn officers per 10,000 residents. Manteca's population growth coupled with Cantu and Singh's failure to address our police department's dangerously low staffing levels have caused Manteca to fall to 8.8 officers. MPD Chief Aguilar recently stated he needed 7 additional sworn officers for this current budget year. Singh stated on social media that the Chief’s request was just a “recommendation.”
The RPOA believes MPD and public safety are the primary responsibility of our elected officials. Adequate funding and sufficient staffing levels should be the number one priority of our next Mayor, and that is exactly what is being promised by Lei Ann Larson.
The RPOA has no financial interest in this election. We do not accept donations, dues, or anything of monetary value. The only interest the RPOA has is what is best for the community where we all are raising our families and the future generations of Mantecans.
RPOA
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