San Rafael council backs controversial DUI checkpoints

Great news - keep up the great work SRPD! I fully support the efforts to keep our roads safe from drunk drivers and those driving without licenses and/or insurance.

Yeaaaay!!!!!!!!!! We Won!!!!!!!!!! Sobriety AND Propriety (that means licenses, boy.) 5 to 0, even Brockbank didn't dare vote against it...

Take that, you "Social Justice" freaks! A little justice for actual American citizens!

It's still disgusting and disappointing, though, how they only talked about drunk driving and didn't mention the scourge of unlicensed, untrained, illiterate, uninsured, hit&run uninsured driving...

And the way they keep referring to "the community", as though the completely indifferent illegal aliens were part of the American, San Rafael community. Just who do these clowns think do the voting? Oh, that's right, the lunatic liberals who voted for them before, that have yet to be injured in some way by the illegal alien invasion...

Sorry I couldn't be there, Diane. I had every intention to (including some prime input on their new red-light cameras,) but I had a real "neighbor in need of our help" that burned up my afternoon today.

Geez - I hope Jim doesn't do something foolish like drown his sorrows in a beer and then get behind the wheel after disappointing news such as tonights.

Well Done San Rafael City Council, The residents of San Rafael are proud of you, and the work that our Police Department is doing. Keep up the excellent work, well done Mayor, Council Members, Chief Odetta, and all members of the San Rafael Police Department. Stay Safe!

To see how serious we are about drunk driving please come to our Downtown Blues Festival.

The Blues Festival returns on Saturday, September 13th, 2008 in the heart of downtown San Rafael. This wonderful Festival celebrates Marin and America's outstanding heritage of great music and the great American roots of the Blues Performances by local and national blues artists are featured on multiple stages.

The finest in local brews, wines and other fine beverages fill out the equation for fun.

Come have a few beers, who's counting?
Drive safely.

We're serious about drinking and driving, can't you tell?

Great news, and thanks to Those that were able to attend.

Here's the bad news..
http://dist22.casen.govoffice.com/index.asp... {3F9B89DB-FBA7-4A48-9B7E-09946 FD027DC}
It passed Senate friday, and now just has to get Arnies signature...Write the Govenor(best) or Fax/email Him quick.

This would give licenses to illegals, and make Us Citizens have to get the "Real-ID". So They get licensed, We get RFID chips, a bad deal for Us.

The Commander.

This might work better..
http://americanpatrol.com/CALIFORNIA/DLs-FOR-...

Downtown San Rafael wrote:

To see how serious we are about drunk driving please come to our Downtown Blues Festival.
The Blues Festival returns on Saturday, September 13th, 2008 in the heart of downtown San Rafael. This wonderful Festival celebrates Marin and America's outstanding heritage of great music and the great American roots of the Blues Performances by local and national blues artists are featured on multiple stages.
The finest in local brews, wines and other fine beverages fill out the equation for fun.
Come have a few beers, who's counting?
Drive safely.
We're serious about drinking and driving, can't you tell?

Are you at least cognizant, legal, literate, trained, licensed and insured before you buy a car (and actually re-registering it) and driving it down there???

I_M_Disgusted wrote:

<quoted text>
Are you at least cognizant, legal, literate, trained, licensed and insured before you buy a car (and actually re-registering it) and driving it down there???

Come have a few beers! We are serious about drunk driving.

Downtown San Rafael wrote:

<quoted text>
Come have a few beers! We are serious about drunk driving.

Sounds like you're just a serious idiot...

There were more protestors than supporters on this issue in council chambers Tuesday night. However, I do not believe the public comments tonight were significant in supporting Councils decision to vote 5-0. Perhaps It was the letter and phone calls which made this an issue. N my opinion It was a only a partial victory for public safety and Mayor Boro summed up it best by stating that public safety is a priority of local government. Yes I agree with that. And to that end council members tried to justify their support of checkpoints as a public safety issue while trying not to “piss” off the others as Brockbank put it. Yes to the dismay of his supporters (he serves on the Board of Directors of “The Coalition”) Brockbank voted for the grants. However he “waffled” and reserves the right to change his opinion on this vote. He apparently has issues with the towing vehicles of unlicensed drivers and the requirement that a license check be a part of the checkpoint.(Unreasonable search ?) He would like to see this separated. And to that end he stated he will speak to Jared Huffman and Mark Leno. My recollection on towing of vehicles is that CA enacted this as a deterent for unlicensed drivers and to punish those who also might loan a car to an unlicensed driver.(Any comments ?) He sees the license check as unneeded as a part of the checkpoint. I see it as a “key” part of the checkpoint, plus I support checking for insurance and registration which are not required under the current law. So the problem then is if the license check is unconstitutional and invasive in the eyes of Brockbank and ultimately Huffman and Leno, then the state law could be changed. This is clearly in support of families who he stated need to support their families by driving. One protestor asked why is it necessary to tow cars of unlicensed drivers. The response by the city staff and SRPD was basically it is the law. Mayor Boro stated the SRPD cannot basically look the other way and not enforce this part of the CA Law nor would he expect them to ignore this. Mayor Boro also pointed out that one letter he received from checkpoint protesters was disturbing or to that effect. Uniformed Police from these agencies were in attendance, apparently as a show of support, Twin Cities, Fairfax, San Anselmo, Ross, Beveldere, Marin Sheriff, and CHP (2). The IJ’s coverage including my comments is very accurate. However, it would have been nice if these additional points were included in a longer article. It was also disclosed by city staff San Rafael relative to other cities of its size has an overall traffic safety issue, not just tonight’s discussion on DUI and drivers license checkpoints. Council needs to do more to improve the rating here, to which I addressed D street as a persistent speeding and specifically a high vehicular crash rate. Therefore, if you want the real scoop attend the city council meetings. They (Mayor Boro) certainly expected a larger turnout and I for one would like to see more of each side show up. A government for and by the people requires “you” the people to participate not just at election time and just in these blogs. The opinions herein are mine and I approve this message.

Well done San Rafael Council !!!!!!!!!!

It should also be noted these grants will support Avoid the 13 an saturation patrols o holidays such as St Patricks Day. And one protestor inquired if Homland Security was funding this. Answer: No. funding flows from National highway Trasportation findsto States then to local governments. No impact on CA budget, good news. Sorry I left that out. PS Since the meetings are taped, who knows if and when these are aired on cable ? If you missed the meeting you can see first hand this was a pretty civil event with some good rhetoric and speech as well as some who could not compose a sentence and were off base and off topic,(RE: Q on homeland Security) DM

Mongo wrote:

Well done San Rafael Council !!!!!!!!!!

And a fine job in Petaluma last week

And a 3-2 vote was my forecast. So I was wrong here. My political analysis is a little dusty since days of being a Petaluma activist in the 1990's. Stay tuned.

Commander Bunny wrote:

This might work better..
http://americanpatrol.com/CALIFORNIA/DLs-FOR-...

I guess once a sneaky politician always a sneaky politician. Imagine the budget not being a priority.

David Mayer wrote:

There were more protesters than supporters on this issue in council chambers Tuesday night. However, I do not believe the public comments tonight were significant in supporting Councils decision to vote 5-0. Perhaps It was the letters and phone calls which made this an issue. In my opinion it was a only a partial victory for public safety and Mayor Boro summed it up best by stating that public safety is a priority of local government. Yes I agree with that. And to that end council members tried to justify their support of checkpoints as a public safety issue while trying not to “****” off the others as Brockbank put it. Yet to the dismay of his supporters (he serves on the Board of Directors of “The Coalition”) Brockbank voted for the grants. However he “waffled” and reserves the right to change his opinion on this vote. He apparently has issues with the towing vehicles of unlicensed drivers and the requirement that a license check be a part of the checkpoint.(Unreasonable search ?) He would like to see this separated. And to that end he stated he will speak to Jared Huffman and Mark Leno. My recollection on towing of vehicles is that CA enacted this as a deterrent for unlicensed drivers and to punish those who also might loan a car to an unlicensed driver.(Any comments ?) He sees the license check as unneeded as a part of the checkpoint. I see it as a “key” part of the checkpoint....

An excellent summation, thank you.
Your comment about the number of "protesters" in attendance is sad evidence of our open democracy being used against us... People who are breaking the law by their very presence here are allowed to pack the halls of our government to protest the functions of that government in enforcing more of the laws that they're breaking, endangering the American public while doing so.
It's a Bizzaro World committing social suicide!
As far as the question of vehicle impounds, and that idiot Brockbank seeing them as "unneeded" in an area with a 45% unlicensed rate, there are three very valid justifications:
1) Our government seizes the assets of its own citizens over illegal DRUGS, in the stupid rerun of Prohibition called the War on Drugs, why should illegal ALIENS be given special treatment?
2) The $hitthead$ driving those cars without a license and without any concern for the safety of the public, killing about 4,000 Americans a year at the hands of illegal aliens, have ALREADY PROVEN that they can't be trusted to obey the law, so they have to have the cars taken away.
3) Finally, all that violin music about HAVING to drive for their job or their kids or whatever is BS... Even for actual citizens, DRIVING IS A PRIVILEGE WITH RESPONSIBILITIES, NOT A RIGHT!
Why the hell are these foreign invaders being treated like honored guests??

Oh, and one little (make that GIANT) bit of stupidity on all these cretin's parts: If it is somehow "unconstitutional" to ask someone to see their license, then just how the hell is it constitutional to have the whole damned roadblock in the first place? But no, these weirdos didn't give a damn when it was only American's rights getting trampled, did they?

For those with their heads in the clouds of up their azzez:

http://www.immigrationshumancost.org/text/cri...

Councilman Greg Brockbank said that while he is uncomfortable with the driver's license screening, it would be more divisive to halt the efforts outright.

Greg Brockbank won't last for another term with this kind of thinking. I agree with David Mayer that all the emails, letters to the Mayor and City Council and the postings on this forum helped fuel the support for the checkpoints and the SRPD. Why is Brockbank uncomfortable with driver's license screening?! Why does he continue to pander to illegal immigrants who are mostly the ones without driver's licenses?

^ Payoffs from MS13...