Umberg for State Attorney General

Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren has taken an undeniably hard line on crime during his four years in office. He wholeheartedly supports Proposition 184, the “three strikes and you’re out” ballot initiative, plus the existing “three-strikes” law. He is a strong proponent of the death penalty and of “hard time” for many juvenile offenders. His emphasis on punishment understandably resonates with Californians fed up with escalating street crime and revolving-door justice.

But Lungren does not have a corner on concern over crime. Nor does his approach to crime, in our view, represent the most efficient way to deploy this state’s increasingly scarce resources. We think that his opponent, Assemblyman Tom Umberg, has articulated a more thoughtful and comprehensive vision of the job.

Umberg cannot be painted as a soft-on-crime Democrat. The Orange County moderate is a former assistant U.S. attorney; as an assemblyman he authored bills to increase penalties for hate crimes, rape and the sale of drugs on school grounds.

Umberg strongly supports the “three-strikes” law and the death penalty but he also recognizes that California must make hard choices about law enforcement. The threat of severe punishment alone will not restore sanity to our streets, especially given the astronomical costs associated with enforcing the “three-strikes” law. That’s why Umberg places a greater emphasis on proven efforts to prevent crime by at-risk juveniles. That’s why he supports stronger gun control than Lungren to help keep firearms out of the hands of criminals.

Of course the attorney general must enforce all the state’s laws, not just the criminal code. The two men share a commitment to consumer protection and environmental preservation. They differ on abortion rights; Umberg is more supportive of a woman’s right to choose.

A negative aspect of the Umberg candidacy is its television-ad suggestion that Lungren somehow could have done more to help police arrest the repeat felon now charged with murdering Polly Klaas. This vicious low blow has no place in any campaign, and Umberg should pull it immediately.