Hispanic Republican candidate for Nevada Assembly Rafael Arroyo is speaking out against criminal justice reform after his Las Vegas business was set fire by a homeless person.
"We have some camera footage of a homeless lady in the area at that time. It seemed like they broke in and started a fire inside a shuttle bus that we use as a mobile office parked right next to the small building. I think that when people have addiction problems or mental health issues, they make choices like that," said (R) Candidate for Nevada Assembly District 41 Rafael Arroyo.
Arroyo is a prominent businessperson and candidate endorsed by Governor Lombardo. He is using his platform to voice his opposition to some of the criminal justice reform laws passed in previous legislative sessions. Specifically, he is against Assembly Bill 236 (AB-236), which was passed in 2019 and reduced the sentences for non-violent crimes like burglary, theft, and drug possession.
Reno Assembly Candidate Erica Roth Defends Nevada's 2019 Criminal Justice Reform Bill
Arroyo points to San Francisco voters earlier this month who approved ballot initiatives that would roll back progressive criminal justice reform laws to give police more powers and increase penalties for drug and property crimes. But, he says his campaign is about preventing these laws from getting to Nevada in the first place.
"We've seen what's happened in these Western coastal states; other cities are falling apart, and you can see right now, even getting some legislation in other cities trying to peal some of that stuff back," said Arroyo: "All in California, Oregon, and Washington, we're seeing it happen, and we want to say hey, we've seen those policies maybe great intentions, but they're not working," said Arroyo.
Rafael Arroyo will face Democrat incumbent Assembly Majority Floor Leader Sandra Jauregui. We've reached out to progressive policymakers who were a part of the passage of the 2019 laws and will continue to cover new developments in criminal justice reform.
