California governor announces crackdown on crime to block anticipated passage of Proposition 36

On By Karl

Following a visit to the state’s border with Mexico, Gov. Gavin Newsom praised California’s efforts last year to combat organized retail theft and other property crimes that lead to it. overwhelming support for ballot measure This will toughen penalties for theft and drug crimes.

As Newsom and his legislative allies have recently noted, these two issues are inextricably linked. Adopted the anti-theft bill package Undermining the intent of Proposition 36, perhaps the most important statewide voter initiative on the Nov. 5 ballot.

At a virtual news conference Monday, Newsom highlighted the latest results. A $267 million funding blitz for state and local law enforcement Combating property crimes, including organized retail thefts and smash-and-grab thefts that have received widespread attention in countless viral videos. The effort, which began in September 2023, has resulted in just over 10,000 arrests to date in retail, auto and cargo theft cases, according to Newsom’s office and the California Highway Patrol.

Local results Newsom highlighted include a South Bay police effort that included San Jose police, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and Campbell police. Arrests more than a dozen people linked to Home Depot theft ring. The county has seen another 16 people charged with organized retail crime and related violent crimes using state funds, according to the governor’s office.

In Oakland and the East Bay, the funding supported 1,125 property crime arrests, the seizure of 110 guns and the recovery of 2,123 vehicles, CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said Monday.

But once reporters were allowed to ask Newsom questions, the general tenor of the news conference shifted back to this: Recommendation 36The ballot measure aims to reduce serial burglary by removing the $950 threshold for a burglary to be charged as a felony and toughen penalties for drug dealing that has fueled the fentanyl and opioid crises. It would also revitalize a drug court infrastructure that gives those arrested for possession of certain types of drugs the option of entering court-supervised rehabilitation or facing up to three years in prison.

Measurement is taken Nearly 70% support from California voters It appears to be heading for a smooth transition next Tuesday, according to multiple polls released last month. Newsom acknowledged that on Monday and reiterated his opposition to the measure, citing the “prevailing wind” and calling it “a very lazy response to a serious problem and a complex problem” that includes drug use and homelessness.

He reiterated long-standing talking points for those opposing the measure, arguing that he was not provided with any funding and that the funding came from outside. Suggestion 1 — legislation passed by voters in March to add 6,800 beds to the state’s treatment capacity — cannot easily be cashed in to fulfill Proposition 36’s commitments.

“These dollars are focused on specific strategies to address chronic mental illness,” Newsom said.

Supporters, with state voters firmly behind them, argue that Proposition 47, passed in 2014 to divert low-level offenders from prison and into diversion and rehabilitation programs, has led to uncontrolled theft and other property crimes stemming from drug use. Proposition 36 is a response to the ineffectiveness of current policies.

On Monday, the official Yes on 36 campaign stretched nearly the last of its nearly $14 million fundraising fund to launch a digital ad boasting support from former Los Angeles mayor and Assembly speaker Antonio Villaraigosa and Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper and released the message . , “Smash and grab criminals have caused stores to raise prices, lock merchandise and close their doors,” tapping into voters’ frustrations with crime trends.

Newsom said at the press conference that he “couldn’t in his conscience support this” and that “I hope people take the time to understand what they are supporting.” He then made a point Report from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office Proposition 36 is estimated to increase government costs by at least “several tens of millions of dollars” and increase the prison population to “at least hundreds of millions of dollars.”

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