Latest news with #CaliforniaDistrictAttorneys'Association
Fox News
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
This is how we'll know if California Gov. Gavin Newsom's epiphany on 'liberal governance' is real
California Gov. Gavin Newsom seems to have received a political wake-up call. In a recent interview with Bill Maher, he admitted that many of California's woes reflect "an indictment of liberal governance and leadership." His candor is striking, especially coming after a seismic shift in the Golden State: the resounding passage of Proposition 36. As a principal architect and senior leader of the Prop 36 campaign, I helped craft this citizens' ballot initiative, which won nearly 70% voter approval – sweeping every county, even deep-blue San Francisco and Los Angeles. Frustrated Californians demanded tougher penalties for repeat thieves, fentanyl dealers and hard-drug offenders. Yet Newsom and Sacramento's Democratic supermajority fought relentlessly to kill it. I witnessed their resistance firsthand. With decades as one of California's longest-serving elected district attorneys and a former president of the California District Attorneys' Association, I was ready for policy debates on crime. But nothing prepared me for the cynical tactics of those desperate to cling to power. Privately, Newsom's staff admitted they feared the high-profile measure would boost turnout among moderate and conservative voters in November 2024. Publicly, they smeared Prop 36 as a far-right throwback, dismissing its broad support from Democratic mayors across the state. For years, California's liberal leadership championed "progressive reforms" to decriminalize, decarcerate and dismantle a criminal justice system they branded racist and punitive. Accountability eroded, replaced by vague promises of safety through equity and compassion. The results were disastrous. Drug-ravaged homeless encampments spread through our cities. Open drug use, needle-strewn streets, locked-down stores, shuttered businesses, and viral videos of smash-and-grab thefts became all too familiar. These aren't mere "quality of life" issues or victimless crimes. Organized retail thieves plundering California's store shelves often tie back to international criminal syndicates dealing in scams, guns, drugs and human trafficking. Crime lords manage their portfolios like any investor, with store-robbing foot soldiers delivering steady, low-risk revenue at scale. Homeland Security investigations warn that stolen goods fuel money laundering, propping up the global black market. No surprise, then, that violent crime has steadily climbed. The public had seen enough. Prop 36's landslide victory in a state of nearly 40 million laid bare a gaping disconnect between California's liberal elite and its voters on crime and safety. It was a mandate for common sense – a rejection of soft-on-crime policies that had gone too far. That mandate, and the tools voters delivered, have empowered prosecutors like me to target repeat offenders and merchants of death selling fentanyl. It has also reinvigorated drug courts and mandated treatment for the chronically addicted. The electorate, wide awake, spoke with one voice, and many of us are listening. Will Newsom and his party listen? Early signs suggest otherwise. Reports indicate they're reluctant to fully fund Prop 36's implementation – a serious misstep. Voters want results, not rhetoric or stubborn loyalty to ideology. This isn't about ideology; it's about reality. Californians are fed up with stepping over needles, witnessing brazen theft, and fearing for their safety. But it's bigger than that. Prop 36's success offers a roadmap for other states wrestling with the fallout of lenient crime policies. It proves that when leaders ignore the public's commonsense demands, they risk waking a sleeping giant – and facing its wrath. Newsom's recent epiphany about his party's failures is a start, but words ring hollow without action. If he and Sacramento's Democrats dig in their heels, they'll only widen the divide. As someone who battled Newsom's machine to get Prop 36 on the ballot and secure its victory, I know what's at stake. Californians didn't just vote for tougher laws – they voted for accountability, deterrence and a return to sanity. The question now is whether Newsom will heed this wake-up call or hit the snooze button. For the sake of our state – and perhaps our country – I hope it's the former. The people have spoken. It's time to listen.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act Passes CA Senate Public Safety Committee
( — A proposed change to state law could add more consequences for those who make threats against certain institutions. Under current law, it is a crime to make violent threats against a specific person at a school or house of worship. Senate Bill 19 has just passed the California Senate Public Safety Committee and would broaden the law to make it illegal to threaten violence toward the institution itself. 'California is falling short in tackling this issue and protecting schools and those institutions that worship from criminal threats,' said Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), the author of the Senate Bill. These threats often cause schools to go on lockdown and can lead to a large and expensive law enforcement response, causing major disruptions. The Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act aims to ensure that those who make these threats face the consequences. Several organizations support the Senate Bill, including the California District Attorneys' Association. 'Someone, for example, could threaten to shoot up this building, and without a specific person targeted or identified, I could not prosecute that,' California District Attorneys' Association Representative Rochelle Beardsley said in the hearing. Several schools in our area, including those in Elk Grove, Marysville, and Mountain House, were recently threatened. In a statement to Fox40, Marysville Acting Superintendent Jordan Reeves said in part, 'I wholeheartedly support legislation that will bolster school safety and enhance measures to keep our school communities safe.' San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said the Mountain House bomb threat was a logistical nightmare for all involved. 'Even if there is no real threat of you showing up to kill somebody and you just think it's a joke, no no, no. There is a tremendous number of resources and trauma that happens because of this,' said the Sheriff tells Fox40. Sheriff Withrow classifies these threats as terrorism and believes any extra steps we can take to hold people more accountable is a step in the right direction. Marc Levine is a former California State Assemblymember, representative of the Anti-Defamation League and global leader in combatting antisemitism and extremist hate, spoke with Fox40 about this Legislation. 'If we look merely at bomb threats to synagogues and K-12 schools in the state of California, we saw about 96 of these threats,' Levine said. 'In 2023 and 2024 that number climbed to 204, a 113% increase year over year, so it's skyrocketed.' Levine adds that it's important that all Californians take any necessary action to stand against hate and hate-based threats. However, several organizations vehemently oppose the Senate Bill. Some cited concerns about the growing number of incarcerated individuals, including those struggling with mental health. 'It will target black and brown students the most,' a gentleman in attendance stated at the hearing. 'Schools are underfunded, mental health resources are stretched thin, and youth programs struggle for support instead of spending money locking up kids for things that can be resolved without police intervention. The California Department of Education told Fox40 they are still looking into this Senate Bill before they can provide comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
