Which Way, L.A.?

The Crackdown on Crime: Reforming Three Strikes

Even the District Attorney of LA County thinks California's Three Strikes Law is unfair--too harsh, and too expensive. That's the law passed 12 years ago, when violent crime reached a peak in California. From the outset, there have been complaints that the law is too harsh because the third strike means 25 years to life for any felony--regardless of whether the crime is violent or "serious." Now, LA District Attorney Steve Cooley has joined with a defense attorney to circulate another initiative, with the argument, "fix it or lose it." Other prosecutors, including some who work for Cooley, think existing law is not tough enough. Rapists, child molesters and murderers would only get two strikes, and judges would have more discretion for the third strike. We hear about both initiatives from their authors, LA DA Steve Cooley and Deputy DA Steve Ipsen. Reporter's Notebook: Beaches Still Closed After Massive Sewage SpillFrom El Segundo to the Palos Verdes Peninsula, beaches remain closed after Sunday's two million-gallon sewage spill. For 19 hours, untreated sewage flooded some beaches 7 feet deep with stinking, untreated waste. Trucks, skip-loaders and workers with rakes and chlorine have dealt with much of the problem, but the health effects aren't over yet as we hear from Jonathan Fielding, County Director of Public Health, and Mark Gold, Executive Director of Heal the Bay.