Latest news with #Proposition47
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Newsom insults California voters by not funding Proposition 36
SACRAMENTO — This just seems wrong: Californians overwhelmingly approved an anti-crime ballot measure in November. But our governor strongly opposed the proposition. So he's not funding it. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders, however, are now under pressure to fund the measure in a new state budget that's being negotiated and must pass the Legislature by June 15. A core principle of democracy is the rule of law. A governor may dislike a law, but normally is duty- bound to help implement and enforce it. Heaven save us if governors start traipsing the twisted path of President Trump. But this isn't the first time for Newsom. Voters twice — in 2012 and 2016 — rejected ballot measures to eliminate the death penalty. Moreover, in 2016 they voted to expedite executions. But shortly after becoming governor in 2019, Newsom ignored the voters and declared a moratorium on capital punishment. Nothing on California's ballot last year got more votes than Proposition 36, which increases punishment for repeated theft and hard drug offenses and requires treatment for repetitive criminal addicts. It passed with 68.4% of the vote, carrying all 58 counties — 55 of them by landslide margins, including all counties in the liberal San Francisco Bay Area. 'To call it a mandate is an understatement,' says Greg Totten, chief executive officer of the California District Attorneys Assn., which sponsored the initiative. Big retailers bankrolled it. 'It isn't a red or blue issue,' adds Totten, referring to providing enough money to fund the promised drug and mental health treatment. 'It's what's compassionate and what's right and what the public expects us to do.' Proposition 36 partly rolled back the sentence-softening Proposition 47 that voters passed 10 years earlier and was loudly promoted by then-Lt. Gov. Newsom. Proposition 47 reduced certain property and hard drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and arrests plummeted, the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found. Proposition 36 was inspired by escalating retail theft, including smash-and-grab burglaries, that were virtually unpunished. Increased peddling of deadly fentanyl also stirred the public. The ballot measure imposed tougher penalties for dealing and possessing fentanyl, treating it like other hard drugs, such as heroin and cocaine. But the proposition offered a carrot to addicted serial criminals: Many could be offered treatment rather than jail time. Newsom adamantly opposed Proposition 36. 'We don't need to go back to the broken policies of the last century,' the governor declared. 'Mass incarceration has been proven ineffective and is not the answer.' Newsom tried to sabotage Proposition 36 by crafting an alternative ballot measure. Top legislative leaders went along. But rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers rebelled and Newsom abandoned the effort. The Legislature ultimately passed 13 anti-theft bills that Newsom and Democrats hoped would satisfy voters, but didn't come close. Totten called the legislative product 'half measures.' Proposition 36 was flawed in one regard: It lacked a funding mechanism. That was part of the backers' political strategy. To specify a revenue source — a tax increase, the raid of an existing program — would have created a fat target for opponents. Let the governor and the Legislature decide how to fund it, sponsors decided. 'We didn't want to tie the hands of the Legislature,' Totten says. 'The Legislature doesn't like that.' Without funding from Sacramento, Proposition 36 won't work, says Graham Knaus, chief executive officer of the California State Assn. of Counties. 'We believe strongly that if it's not properly funded, it's going to fail,' Knaus says. 'Proposition 36 requires increased capacity for mental health and substance abuse treatment. And until that's in place, there's not really a way to make the sentencing work.' There's a fear among Proposition 36 supporters that if treatment isn't offered to qualifying addicts, courts won't allow jail sentencing. 'That will probably get litigated,' Totten says. 'Counties can't implement 36 for free,' Knaus says. 'Voters declared this to be a top-level priority. It's on the state to determine how to fund it. Counties have a very limited ability to raise revenue.' The district attorney and county organizations peg the annual cost of implementing the measure at $250 million. State Senate Republicans are shooting for the moon: $400 million. The nonpartisan legislative analyst originally figured that the cost ranged 'from several tens of millions of dollars to the low hundreds of millions of dollars each year.' Newson recently sent the Legislature a revised $322-billion state budget proposal for the fiscal year starting July 1. There wasn't a dime specifically for Proposition 36. The governor, in fact, got a bit surly when asked about it by a reporter. 'There were a lot of supervisors in the counties that promoted it,' the governor asserted. 'So this is their opportunity to step up. Fund it.' One supervisor I spoke with — a Democrat — opposed Proposition 36, but is irked that Newsom isn't helping to implement it. 'It's disappointing and immensely frustrating,' says Bruce Gibson, a longtime San Luis Obispo County supervisor. 'Voters have spoken and we need to work together with the state in partnership.' In fairness, the governor and the Legislature are faced with the daunting task of patching a projected $12-billion hole in the budget, plus preparing for the unpredictable fiscal whims of a president who keeps threatening to withhold federal funds from California because he doesn't like our policies. 'I am quite concerned about adequately providing the necessary funding to implement Proposition 36,' says state Sen. Tom Umberg of Santa Ana, a strong Democratic supporter of the measure. He's fearful that the Legislature will approve only a token amount of funding — and the governor will veto even that. Under California's progressive system of direct democracy, voters are allowed to bypass Sacramento and enact a state law themselves. Assuming the statue is constitutional, the state then has a duty to implement it. To ignore the voters is a slap in the face of democracy. The must-read: Villaraigosa, despite climate credentials, pivots toward oil industry in run for governor The what happened: Trump threatens to strip federal funds to California over transgender youth athletes The L.A. Times Special: Killing wolves remains a crime in California. But a rebellion is brewing Until next week,George Skelton —Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
New York Post
19-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
LA County DA Nathan Hochman promises crackdown on illegal immigrants: ‘The fun is over'
Tough-on-crime Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman is doubling down on border crossings and vowed that criminals will now be held 'fully accountable for their illegal actions.' Hochman, a Republican-turned-Independent, defeated incumbent progressive prosecutor George Gascón by a 20-point margin. Advertisement Gascón was considered by many voters to be soft on crime. 'I am standing at the border between LA County and San Bernardino County where criminals used to enjoy crossing in the LA direction, thinking that little to no consequences would occur if they stole, robbed and engaged in criminal conduct,' Hochman shared in a video posted on his X account on Sunday. 'Times have changed! The fun is over. A new DA was elected. And criminals in LA County will now be prosecuted and held fully accountable for their illegal actions,' he continued.' Hochman, a former federal prosecutor and lifelong Los Angeles resident, campaigned as a 'hard middle' candidate, rejecting both mass incarceration and the 'public safety failure' of Gascón's liberal policies, which Hochman said led to increased crime and a lack of consequences for juvenile offenders. Advertisement 3 Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman speaks to reporters outside of an LA courthouse on May 9, 2025. Getty Images He also previously served as the president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and accused Gascón of 'catastrophic incompetence' on the campaign trail and vowed to restore order and common sense. While in office, Gascón survived two recall attempts as voters voiced concern over his policies. He also co-authored the infamous Proposition 47, a 2014 voter-approved measure that downgraded most thefts from felonies to misdemeanors if the amount stolen were under $950, and reclassified some felony drug offenses as misdemeanors. Advertisement 3 Mexican national Manuel Seberiano Garcia-Muñoz was arrested in Los Angeles for illegally re-entering the US. HSILosAngeles/X 3 Jaime Gonzalez Alvarez, a suspected member fo the Citron Street gang was arrested in Los Angeles for illegally being in the US. HSILosAngeles/X Despite political differences between voters, public safety is a crossover issue, said Hochman. 'I spoke to ultra-left liberals, independents and conservative Republicans. And it turns out that even though they don't agree on much, they do agree that making sure that the district attorney prioritizes their safety and implements policies that will hold criminals accountable for their actions in a smart and proportional manner really matters,' he said.
Fox News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
LA County DA Nathan Hochman promises crackdown on illegal immigrants: 'The fun is over'
Tough-on-crime Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman is doubling down on border crossings and vowed that criminals will now be held "fully accountable for their illegal actions." Hochman, a Republican-turned-Independent, defeated incumbent progressive prosecutor George Gascón by a 20-point margin. Gascón was considered by many voters to be soft on crime. "I am standing at the border between LA County and San Bernardino County where criminals used to enjoy crossing in the LA direction, thinking that little to no consequences would occur if they stole, robbed and engaged in criminal conduct," Hochman shared in a video posted on his X account on Sunday. "Times have changed! The fun is over. A new DA was elected. And criminals in LA County will now be prosecuted and held fully accountable for their illegal actions," he continued." Hochman, a former federal prosecutor and lifelong Los Angeles resident, campaigned as a "hard middle" candidate, rejecting both mass incarceration and the "public safety failure" of Gascón's liberal policies, which Hochman said led to increased crime and a lack of consequences for juvenile offenders. He also previously served as the president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and accused Gascón of "catastrophic incompetence" on the campaign trail and vowed to restore order and common sense. While in office, Gascón survived two recall attempts as voters voiced concern over his policies. He also co-authored the infamous Proposition 47, a 2014 voter-approved measure that downgraded most thefts from felonies to misdemeanors if the amount stolen were under $950, and reclassified some felony drug offenses as misdemeanors. Despite political differences between voters, public safety is a crossover issue, said Hochman. "I spoke to ultra-left liberals, independents and conservative Republicans. And it turns out that even though they don't agree on much, they do agree that making sure that the district attorney prioritizes their safety and implements policies that will hold criminals accountable for their actions in a smart and proportional manner really matters," he said. Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thefts prompt Inland Empire grocery store to change bag policy
A Grocery Outlet store in Hemet is now requiring customers to leave their reusable shopping bags and personal bags with a cashier due to a rise in theft. Management of the discount grocery store on Florida Avenue in the Inland Empire city posted the new policy on its Facebook page on Monday. The message informed shoppers that they should only use store-provided hand baskets or carts instead. 'While this has always been posted on our front door, we have had some take advantage and walk out of store without stopping by the register,' the post read. 'We know this is inconvenient for everyone, but we want to ensure that we have products for you all as well as not lose any so we can keep pricing affordable.' California police department makes retail theft policy crystal clear In a gesture, store management also indicated a willingness to assist customers who are struggling to afford groceries. 'If anyone is struggling, please do not resort to theft. Please ask for one of the owners … and we will see what we can do to help. If we cannot help you in the moment, we will absolutely take your name and number down so we can help as soon as possible and even see if we can provide you resources,' they wrote. The policy change comes as businesses and local governments across California face a significant surge in retail theft since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, shoplifting in the state was up nearly 40% in 2023 compared to the previous year. In response to the escalating problem, many retailers have begun locking up a wider range of products, beyond typical high-theft items like medications, baby formula and electronics. California voters in 2024 approved Proposition 36, rolling back aspects of 2014's controversial Proposition 47, which had reclassified nonviolent offenses, including shoplifting goods valued under $950, as misdemeanors. Proposition 36 reinstated stricter penalties for theft and drug crimes and lowered the felony threshold for shoplifting back to $450. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
California police department makes retail theft policy crystal clear
Police in one Southern California city are laying down the law—literally—when it comes to retail theft. In a social media post showing a woman being arrested for allegedly stealing flowers from a Target store on Mother's Day, the Seal Beach Police Department outlined its 'zero-tolerance stance' on theft affecting businesses both large and small. 'Post-COVID, retail theft surged across California. In some jurisdictions, it's become so normalized that it's barely reported, let alone prosecuted,' the department said. 'But in Seal Beach, we made a conscious choice to take a different path.' The department explained that shoplifters in Seal Beach are not released with a ticket or warning—they are taken to jail. 'We decided that allowing criminals to steal without consequence wasn't just bad policy—it was a betrayal of the residents and businesses we swore to protect,' police said. 'This isn't about being harsh. It's about protecting a community that still believes in accountability.' Retail theft has surged across California in recent years, leading to a statewide, multi-agency crackdown and changes to the law as communities grew weary of viral videos showing smash-and-grab and flash-mob-style burglaries. In 2024, California voters essentially repealed 2014's Proposition 47, which had reclassified nonviolent offenses, such as shoplifting goods valued under $950, as misdemeanors. The overwhelming passage of Proposition 36 reinstated stiffer penalties for theft and drug crimes, and lowered the felony threshold for shoplifting back to $450. In Los Angeles County, District Attorney Nathan Hochman campaigned on a promise to work with law enforcement to curb retail theft. He soundly defeated incumbent George Gascón, whom he painted as being soft on crime. In its social media post, Seal Beach police also addressed those who defend shoplifters as victims of Southern California's high cost of living. 'Every time we make an arrest for theft, there's a corner of social media that rushes in to justify it,' the department wrote. 'They say it's 'just a big corporation,' or that the thief 'probably needed it.' But no one ever considers the cashier who had to confront the thief, or the family who pays more for groceries next month because of what walked out the door unpaid.' 'Seal Beach is not a place where crime gets a pass,' they continued, 'And that's exactly how our community wants it. Don't Steal in Seal. Sincerely -Management.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
