News release
Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Friday for an aerial tour of illegal marijuana grow sites during their recent raid operations in the Antelope Valley. Garcia took an aerial tour of the progress made, watched a raid from the sky, toured a grow amid demolition, and spoke with local law enforcement.
“Last year, after hearing about this problem from the residents in the Antelope Valley, I brought national attention to the issue of illegal marijuana grows in our community,” Garcia said in a prepared statement. “Thanks to Sheriff (Alex) Villanueva and local law enforcement, significant progress has been made in combatting this problem and protecting our community and environment from the significant threat the grows pose. It was striking to see the dramatic decrease in illegal grow sites since last year. I’m pleased by the continued progress in combating this problem and I will continue fighting this issue until every last grow is completely eradicated.”
The all-hands-on-deck cooperation and support from the residents of the Antelope Valley to local, state, and federal officials and law enforcement has been crucial to addressing this issue, said a statement released by Garcia’s office. Over the past year, the number of visible illegal marijuana grows in the Antelope Valley has been significantly reduced, the statement said.
Garcia remains committed to combating the illegal marijuana grows in the Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, and Porter Ranch, the statement said, adding that Garcia urged U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to remove the current overtime cap of $19,000 that is placed on law enforcement. Removing the cap would enable local law enforcement to put in the time necessary to eradicate these grows.
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