It is difficult to overlook the clear and resounding message sent by the voters with the results of California’s primary election on June 7. Soft-on-crime policies and the very real consequences they have on public safety are unacceptable. We are pleased to see that several of PORAC’s endorsed candidates who have demonstrated their commitment to supporting law enforcement were elected, with many more advancing to the general election in November — and we look forward to continuing to back them.

First and foremost, I want to mention that two PORAC members who ran for office came in first place in their respective races. PORAC’s Valley Chapter Vice President and Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Sergeant Juan Alanis will be moving forward to the general election in the Assembly District 22 race. Additionally, PORAC Board member and Chico Police Sergeant Peter Durfee was the top vote-getter and ultimately won his race for Butte County District 2 supervisor with over 50% of the vote. I want to congratulate them for running great campaigns, and we couldn’t be happier for them and their success. As PORAC continues to advocate for policies that uplift our members, the law enforcement profession and community safety, the perspective, knowledge and collaborative spirit these candidates will bring to office is just what we need.

Currently, on the state level, 28 of our endorsed candidates have been confirmed to be moving onto the general election, with 16 more well on their way to securing a spot on the November ballot. We’ve had similar success on the congressional level, with nine out of our 11 endorsed candidates progressing. I would also like to wish Representative David Valadao luck as the results from his District 22 race are still coming in, but currently favor him moving forward in the election as well.

Several key district attorney races throughout the state also delivered exciting results. This includes Ron Freitas, who appears to be winning outright in his bid for San Joaquin County district attorney. His opponent, oddly endorsed by the County GOP, was part of the progressive attorney alliance of California. If you aren’t aware of this group, it consists of George Gascón, Chesa Boudin, Diana Becton and Tori Verber Salazar of San Joaquin, who was defeated. In addition to Freitas’ success, PORAC’s endorsed candidates in Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Clara, Solano, Stanislaus and Yolo counties all won. The only race we lost was Contra Costa County.

One of the highlights of election night was San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin being recalled! While PORAC was not directly involved in this recall effort, we support the results, as we believe they reflect the current mood of the public in making sure that our elected officials are holding criminals accountable, ensuring victims have a voice and supporting both rural and urban communities struggling with crime and public safety issues statewide. That’s why we are also supportive of the effort to gather signatures to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón. If you or a family member live in Los Angeles County, we encourage you to sign the petition to recall Gascón at recalldageorgegascon.com/petition and send the same message that the voters of San Francisco sent: Rampant crime and politically divisive defund rhetoric must come to an end.

Unfortunately, our pick for California attorney general, Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, will not be advancing to the general election. While we are disappointed that her campaign was cut short, we felt her messaging of holding criminals accountable was solid and on the mark. We were grateful to have had the opportunity to host her election night party at PORAC’s Headquarters. PORAC is proud to have supported a candidate who has a collaborative vision for the future of law enforcement and vowed to follow the law, not politics. After having the pleasure of getting to know Schubert throughout the campaign, I am confident that she will continue to put her years of exceptional experience to good use and advocate for increased resources and policies that improve public safety.

In addition to offering PORAC’s Headquarters as an event space, the PORAC communications team has been hard at work developing the professional PORAC Studio as one of the many benefits we are able to offer our association leadership. The new studio has a wide array of capabilities that we want to make sure our members are aware of. For example, you may have heard our radio ad in support of Peter Durfee’s campaign for Butte County supervisor. This ad was recorded in our studio, and ads like this for local elected officials in your area can be recorded here as well. Studio policies and request forms will be made available in August and released to association leadership. Please reach out to Marissa Wolford at mwolford@porac.org for more information or to request the use of the studio for your chapter or POA.

Finally, I want to thank you, our members, for believing in our greater vision for the future of law enforcement. We’re proud of the active role you all play in pushing for a brighter future for law enforcement by staying engaged, getting the right candidates elected and holding elected leaders accountable for their policies. Thank you for all that you do and stay safe out there.