Democrats in California are divided a new proposition designed to crack down on crime, with big city mayors supporting it and state leaders opposing it, Politico reported.
Proposition 36 would repeal parts of Proposition 47, a 2014 criminal justice ballot initiative downgrading certain theft and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas oppose Proposition 36, while San Francisco Mayor London Breed, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock support Proposition 36, saying it will make their residents feel safer, Politico reported.
"We see the consequences on the ground every day," Brock told Politico. "Look at Mayor Breed, Mayor Mahan, mayors down here in southern California — we're exasperated, we're frustrated, and so many days we feel helpless.
"We need some help; we need some assistance."
The initiative was initially proposed by prosecutors and big box retailers, but Newsom and state legislators worked to remove it from the ballot.
Now Newsom is warning Proposition 36 will lead to mass incarceration and cost taxpayers millions of dollars, Politico reported. But that hasn't stopped mayors from organizing in support of the initiative.
"My great fear is that by decriminalizing low-level crime, we have allowed people's conditions to deepen and worsen," Mahan told Politico.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson have yet to endorse Proposition 36.
"I will likely take a position between now and November. I can't associate everything bad with Proposition 47," Richardson told Politico.
"It's scapegoating the problem. We saw crime really pick up after the pandemic. Now we're starting to see things go down," he said.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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