San Miguel CSD Director declares ‘war on gang crime’ after home burglary
County has seen increase in property theft, sheriff’s office says
Anthony Kalvans
–The home of San Miguel Community Services District Director Anthony Kalvans was burglarized on March 25. This marks the second burglary in the San Miguel area over the past several weeks, according to Kalvans. The director has now declared a “war on gang crime,” in the North County.
“Our hearts sank when we saw the broken glass,” said Kalvans about the discovery. “We’re fortunate the criminals did not make it very far into our home, but there is no place for this type of activity in our community.”
Kalvans said he and his father were returning home after having just finished volunteering at a local community fundraiser. “The time for action is now,” said Kalvans. “Crime has been on the rise for some time, and our county sheriff’s department has worked hard to combat the problem, but they need our support now more than ever.”
As San Miguel is not currently an incorporated area of San Luis Obispo County, very few county sheriff’s deputies are often patrolling the immediate area, “More streetlights and a dedicated resident deputy with k-9 unit patrol are just the beginning of what I think our community needs to combat this crime,” said Kalvans.
“The sheriff’s office doesn’t break down crime rates by individual locations but for the county as a whole, but I can tell you we have seen an increase in property theft in the county, overall,” said Sheriff’s Office Public Informations Officer Tony Cipolla. “We attribute this to prop. 47 which was passed by voters a little more than a year ago. It took crimes (mainly drug related) that were once considered felonies and reduced them to misdemeanors. So now, those drug cases are usually cited out, with no jail time (the jail provides access to drug rehab programs). Too many times, these same individuals have well established drug habits. So thefts are committed to help pay to fuel their habits.”
“As long as I serve on the CSD and The San Miguel Advisory Council, I will take a hard line on crime, and fight the safety of our communities,” said Kalvans. ” I ask the community to support my call to action and for my advisory council colleagues to join me in standing against gang related crime.”
A lifelong resident of San Miguel, Kalvans has served on the San Miguel CSD since 2012 and the San Miguel Advisory Council since 2011.
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