Spitzer Slams Liberals Attempts To Stop Death Chamber

This just came over the transom from Assemblyman Todd Spitzer:

Assemblymember Spitzer Criticizes Liberals’ Attempts to Halt Death Penalty

Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Prison Construction and Operation was told about construction during tour of San Quentin in March

(Sacramento)- Assemblymember Todd Spitzer (R-Orange) today issued the following statement in reaction to a hearing conducted yesterday, at which liberals criticized the Administration for construction of a new death chamber:

“An overwhelmingly 71 percent of California voters supported the death penalty when it came before them as an initiative in 1978.  In February 2006, this support was reaffirmed when a Field Poll found that 67 percent of voters favor the death penalty.  But here in Sacramento, the Legislature, and one person in particular, is attempting to subvert the will of the people in another attempt to stop the death penalty in California.  I assure you, those of us who value public safety and justice will not be deterred.

I was deeply saddened to hear of the liberals’ intentions to halt the timely construction of a new death chamber, which is clearly an attempt to prevent the reinstatement of the death penalty.  It is the ultimate insult to victims and family members who are forced to work with a system that gives more rights to murderers than the victims of these violent criminals.

In order to bring attention to the state’s prison crisis, I toured eight prisons.  On March 14th, while touring San Quentin, I was informed of the construction of the new death chamber.  Had any of the liberal legislators taken the same interested in seeing first-hand the status quo in our prisons, they too would have known about the new construction plans.

This construction was not some clandestine or covert operation conducted by the Administration.  This is no different than any other contract issue the state handles.  Liberals should not use a change order as a ruse to halt the death penalty.

On December 15th, 2006, U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel found that the state’s lethal injection protocol was unconstitutional.  As part of that decision, Fogel identified severe deficiencies with the lethal injection chamber; specifically that it was poorly lit, cramped and poorly designed.

In response, the Governor issued a five-point plan, which included recommendations on ‘how to improve the death penalty facility at San Quentin Prison to ensure that there is adequate equipment, lighting and space for the execution team members to perform their functions.’

Liberals have known since December that new construction was on the table.  If they want to outlaw the death penalty, start gathering signatures.  Do not use legislative hearings as bully pulpits to subvert the will of the people and circumvent state law.  But, as usual, they are attempting to ignore the overwhelming majority of this state and impose their own pro-criminal agenda on the people of this state.”

Comments

[Hanna]

Executing criminals is barbaric and ours is the only industrialized country that still does it.

If anyone is so blood thirsty, as Bill Maher suggested: put on an orange vest and head into the woods to kill someone.

I am really disappointed with Spitzer; is this in preparation for being the county top prosecutor?

We know that executing criminals does not bring back their victims, it does not even provide "closure" to the families of the victims, as many researchers have demonstrated.

It certainly does not prevent future crime. The only thing it provides is revenge, maybe, and Spitzer, of all people, should know that our penal system is not based on revenge.