Posted on 07/26/2002 8:48:43 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon defended his commitment to charity Thursday morning after a meeting in Stockton with organizers of a Weston Ranch Neighborhood Watch group to discuss public safety.
Seated on a living room couch flanked by Stockton Mayor Gary Podesto and two neighborhood boys, Simon listened as Weston Ranch residents described their efforts to protect the area from crime.
Because so many Weston Ranch residents commute to the Bay Area, the streets tend to be isolated during the day, leaving the homes vulnerable to burglaries, neighbors said.
Some neighbors called on police to spend more time patrolling the neighborhood for teenagers hanging out and drinking in parks at night and for property crimes.
"That's what I stand for -- local law enforcement and safety," Simon said.
At a news conference after the meeting, Simon railed against Gov. Gray Davis. He criticized Davis for what he called the "false misrepresentations" in a television advertisement that accuses the millionaire candidate of profiting from his family's charitable foundation.
The ad claims Simon's private investment firm charged higher-than-average fees for managing the family's trust.
Simon said most charitable foundations spend 17 percent or 18 percent on overhead, while his family's foundation gives away 90 cents on the dollar.
"(The ad) is just another desperate attempt to shift attention" from criticisms of Davis' record as governor, Simon said.
Simon also criticized Davis for waiting too long to push ahead with a statewide child abduction-notification system. The Simon campaign contends Davis dragged his feet on the alert system by failing to back legislation introduced by a Republican assemblyman last year.
Davis ordered state officials Wednesday to launch the California Child Safety Amber Network, which would coordinate resources already available to find abducted children, including using freeway signs to post information about kidnappings and broadcasting alerts through the media.
"The fact is, the governor personally via executive order can't force counties to implement this system, but most of them already have," said Roger Salazar, a spokesman for the Davis campaign.
Orange County used the alert system after 5-year-old Samantha Runnion was kidnapped while playing in front of her Stanton home July 15, Salazar said. Runnion's body was found three days later
"(Orange County) Sheriff Mike Corona said the system worked perfectly," Salazar said. "They were able to access it within 15 minutes. That's one of the reasons they were able to catch the perpetrator as quickly as they did."
Janelle Anderson, a Weston Ranch resident with two teenage daughters, said she came to the meeting to hear Simon's plans for protecting children.
"At first, I wasn't going to come," Anderson said. "The Lord said you better get yourself out there and see what's going on."
* To reach reporter Julie Davidow, phone 546-8294 or e-mail
jdavidow@recordnet.com
NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING: Gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon listens to residents during a visit to a Weston Ranch home Thursday morning. On either side of him are brothers Billy Stockton, 7, left, and Joey Stockton, 12.
He just needs some help to do the job!
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