COUNTYWIDE : La Follette Proposes Legislative Plan to Prevent Rioting

Surrounded by law enforcement officials, state Senate candidate Marian W. La Follette on Wednesday unveiled an anti-riot legislative proposal she said would help prevent the kind of carnage unleashed in Los Angeles after the Rodney G. King case.

“By increasing . . . the penalties for those who are involved in riots, I think we can reduce the temptation of many people to engage in crime,” La Follette said at a news conference in Camarillo.

La Follette is running against Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) and Fillmore City Councilman Roger Campbell for the Republican nomination in the 19th State Senate District, which stretches from Oxnard to the San Fernando Valley.

Among the supporters attending La Follette’s conference were Michael D. Bradbury, Ventura County district attorney; Dave Williams, president of the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Assn., and representatives from the Los Angeles Police Protective League and the Professional Peace Officers Assn.

La Follette’s legislative program calls for the following:

* Extending the arraignment period from two to five days for those involved in riot activities.

* Increasing bail for riot offenders.

* Increasing the penalties for those who attack public safety workers.

* Prohibit public demonstrations during times of civil unrest.

* Create legislation that would allow prosecutors to try misdemeanor riot-related crimes as felonies.

* Allow judges to withhold jurors’ identities for up to 90 days after a trial.

“It’s nothing new,” John Theiss, Wright’s campaign manager, said of La Follette’s proposals.

“These are policies already being debated in the Legislature as we speak.”

Theiss noted that Wright has been endorsed by the California Assn. of Highway Patrolmen, the Marshals Assn. and California Organization of Police and Sheriffs.

Campbell, who has been endorsed by Ventura County Sheriff John V. Gillespie, said he applauds La Follette’s six-point program.

But he said it’s only part of the solution to the larger economic problems that created the riots in Los Angeles.

Campbell called for a partnership between the private and public sectors to hire people to rebuild neighborhoods and businesses in the riot-torn areas.