After Fighting Initiative, Gov. Newsom Taking Credit for Making Crime Illegal Again

Nearly 50% of the stores in San Francisco have closed and residents are fleeing the city. Sacramento’s downtown still looks as if the 2020 riots just took place. Los Angeles is… well, it’s Los Angeles.

And California Governor Gavin Newsom has dodged responsibility for 10 years.

Escalating crime throughout California’s cities and communities has taken its toll on the state’s residents and businesses. Because of 2014’s Proposition 47, titled “Californians for Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,” which voters were mislead into passing, there is no accountability when it comes to these crimes, theft is underreported and some stores are even told not to report theft crimes. And we all are paying the price for the rampant thefts and serial theft rings.

The ballot initiative to amend Prop. 47, Proposition 36, the California Proposition 36, the Increase Drug and Theft Penalties and Reduce Homelessness Initiative, will be on the November 2024 ballot, despite Democrats in the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s attempts to kill it… and despite the important legal fixes Prop. 36 will make to California’s outrageous crime problems.

As we have reported for a decade, Democrats have had 10-years since the passage of Proposition 47 to legally address the crimes Prop. 47 turned into misdemeanors from felonies, and ushered in a decade of serial retail theft, homelessness, drug trafficking, sex crimes, sex trafficking and other violent and terrible crimes. And every legislative attempt was summarily killed or never even given a hearing.

Democrats’ motive was control  – Because it’s not just about retail theft run amok – everyday people are getting hurt and even killed with so much money having been spent to defend criminals – in the name of “social justice.”

Democrats and the governor don’t want “the people” or Republicans to get credit for overturning their dystopian hellscape ballot initiative because the goal always was to turn California into a society characterized by human misery, squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding. Just look at all of the legislation they pass and sign into law.

Still not sure? A “Dystopian” hellscape  is an imagined world or society in which people lead dehumanized, fearful lives.

Boom. Welcome to California’s big cities, parts of which look like Mogadishu, Somalia.

The fight was taken up by District Attorneys across the state, and thousands of volunteers working to get Prop. 36 on the ballot – the handwriting was on the wall – the people hate living dehumanized, fearful lives.

Lacking any self-awareness, rather than supporting the qualified ballot initiative, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrat lawmakers rushed a package of their own retail theft bills through to mislead voters, adding in “poison pill” amendment provisions to provide that the bills would be repealed if the Fix Prop. 47 (Prop. 36) initiative is approved by voters in November.

The Governor also threatened to squeeze in another voter initiative to the floor of the Senate or Assembly in July. He recanted that idea under a lot of bad press.

“It’s all about me!” …unless it’s bad. 

However, Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed Friday a package of 10 bills to supposedly crack down on smash-and-grab robberies and property crimes, making it easier to go after repeat shoplifters and auto thieves and increase penalties for those running professional reselling schemes, the Associated Press reported.

“The move comes as Democratic leadership works to prove that they’re tough enough on crime while trying to convince voters reject a ballot measure that would bring even harsher sentences for repeat offenders of shoplifting and drug charges.”

Gov. Newsom took a victory lap, ignoring that it was his own policies which ushered in the decade of horrific crime, drug-addicted homeless vagrants, sex trafficking, and preying on children, the elderly and small business owners.

“Building on California’s robust laws and strategies to reduce crime and protect communities, Governor Newsom today signed landmark legislation to further crack down on property and retail crime. The new laws provide tougher criminal penalties for repeat offenders and additional tools for felony prosecutions,” Gov. Newsom’s office said in an email statement.

“This goes to the heart of the issue, and it does it in a thoughtful and judicious way,” Newsom said of the package. “This is the real deal.”

The Yes on Proposition 36 Campaign wasn’t having any of Newsom’s bravado:

The Yes on Proposition 36 campaign issued a statement in response to the passage of a package of retail theft bills. Leadership also shelved the strongest legislative bill Assembly Bill 1960 (Rivas) which would have been very helpful in dealing with smash-and-grab crimes. They also shelved another measure Assembly Bill 1794 (McCarty) that dealt with aggregation.

“State leaders have had years to address California’s crime and drug crises, yet little has been done to tackle the root causes. These newly passed legislative bills are half measures, failing to address the fundamental issues of habitual repeat theft, the fentanyl epidemic, and the ongoing homelessness crisis, which remains unaddressed due to the lack of strong incentives for drug treatment.

Proposition 36 is the comprehensive and compassionate solution California needs. It directly tackles these challenges with strong incentives for drug treatment, which will reduce homelessness and provide our communities and small businesses with the accountability and consequences necessary to curb repeat offenders. This is why Proposition 36 has strong bipartisan support—it is the real change California needs.”

Today, a new poll was released by the Los Angeles Times//UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies showed wide support with a greater than two to one margin, 56% to 23%. Of the support, Proposition 36 was supported by moderates at 66%, conservative voters at 69-70%, and somewhat liberal voters support Prop 36 at 49%.

Proposition 36, the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act will:

●      Hold those who are committing repeated retail theft and fentanyl sales crimes accountable for the safety and health of our communities.

●      Create accountability for repeat smash-and-grab offenders who drive up costs for all Californians and chase retailers out of the state.

●      Bring back strong incentives needed for individuals to get into necessary drug treatment and job training programs — helping them begin new lives. Currently, those arrested multiple times for hard drug use have no incentive to choose treatment.

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow has been deeply involved in the reform Prop. 47 effort, and told the Globe in late June, “If they remove the poison pill language from their bills, that means that we have been successful.

“It also means that the leadership in the California State Legislature has finally acknowledged what has been obvious to the rest of us: that Prop. 47 was dangerous, it was too soft on crime, and that the voters want it to be reformed.”

I think that sentiment stands today. And the adults around the state who actually made this happen really don’t care who gets credit as long we are making crime in California illegal again.