Yesterday, Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) grilled New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio during an important, bipartisan budget hearing on local governments.

During the questioning, de Blasio admitted that Majority politicians should restore judicial discretion to the pre-trial detention process.

“If you need any more proof that Majority politicians in the state Legislature are on an island on bail reform, even someone as unabashedly progressive as Mayor de Blasio believes that judges should have the option to detain the most dangerous, serial offenders until their trials,” said Ra. “Among law enforcement officials, prosecutors, mayors, and citizens, this is not a partisan issue. It’s only partisan in this Legislature, and that needs to change before anyone else gets hurts.”

Ra also sought details from the de Blasio administration regarding their ankle bracelet monitoring program. In recent days, judges have expressed frustration that the program is not yet operational, further limiting their discretion.

“We need details, and we expect them from their administration in the coming days,” said Ra.