California voters have passed a tougher anti-crime ballot measure despite Newsom’s opposition

California voters on Tuesday approved a tougher anti-crime ballot measure as rampant shoplifting and drug problems became a top problem in the Golden State this election season.

The measure, called Proposition 36, would allow law enforcement to prosecute crimes against individuals who commit certain drug- or theft-related crimes — such as those who have two prior theft convictions and steal property valued at $950 or less, who were classified as a crime. crime.

The Associated Press called the race because early vote counts showed the measure leading by wide margins, with 70.6 percent of voters supporting the measure, while 43 percent of votes have been counted so far.

The proposal rolls back parts of the state’s Proposition 47, which voters passed in 2014 in hopes of reducing mass incarceration by classifying some drug and property crimes as felonies. But as the state grappled with thefts, shoplifting that forced stores to lock up many of their products, and the fentanyl crisis, a widespread coalition of residents, businesses and civic leaders said the decade-old Proposition 47 has led to these “unintended consequences,” including repeated shoplifting, store closings and “difficulty convincing people to seek drug and mental health treatment ‘.

That coalition argued that by increasing penalties for drug and theft crimes, Proposition 36 “would create real accountability for those who habitually violate these laws and make our communities less safe.”

Before the election, polls indicated the measure was favored, with 73 percent of likely voters planning to vote for the measure, according to polling from the Public Policy Institute of California. Of California’s 10 ballot measures on issues such as climate change and the minimum wage, the crime bill is the one voters say they are most interested in, the Sun reported. reported.

The measure was opposed by top Democrats in the state, including Governor Newsom. Critics of the measure, such as the Prison Policy Initiative, said it would be a “major step backward toward increased incarceration” and that “the state prison population is expected to grow by 35 percent over the next five years.” Proposition 36 would “undo a decade of progress toward unraveling mass incarceration without any benefit to public safety,” the group argued.