Vice President Kamala Harris, who is registered to vote in California, on Wednesday endorsed Proposition 36, a tough-on-crime measure that would overturn some of the progressive criminal justice reforms voters approved on California’s Nov. 5 ballot. He said it still needs to be considered. Ten years ago.
“I haven’t voted yet, I haven’t actually read it yet,” Harris told reporters in response to a question about Prop. 36, ahead of her flight from Detroit to New Jersey. “But I’ll let you know.”
Harris’ campaign has so far refused to answer questions from the Times about how she would vote on Proposition 36. The continued silence from the Democratic presidential candidate, who has touted his record as California’s top law enforcement officer, comes as Republicans are pushing to make crime more important. Points of attack this election season.
At a campaign rally in California over the weekend, Republican candidate Trump called the state a lawless state with “the most homelessness, the most crime, the most corruption, the most illegal aliens.” denounced.
Prop. 36, led by a group of prosecutors and funded by Walmart, In-N-Out Burger and the California Republican Party, would impose harsher penalties for repeat drug possession and retail theft offenses, and increase penalties for some offenses involving fentanyl and shoplifting. It exempts some crimes from punishment. From a misdemeanor to a felony.
It would also give people who routinely commit drug offenses the option of receiving substance abuse treatment, but skeptics have questioned how the county would pay for the treatment.
The California Republican Party supports Proposition 36, spending more than $1 million supporting the measure, according to state campaign finance reports. The political committee supporting Proposition 36, which has pushed for bipartisan support, has donated $1 million to the California Republican Party in recent weeks.
Several polls have found strong support among voters for Proposition 36, despite opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic leaders in the state Legislature.
If passed, Proposition 36 would change key parts of Proposition 47, the 2014 ballot measure that Californians overwhelmingly approved. As attorney general at the time, Harris did not take a position on Proposition 47. The chief of staff said Harris was in charge of drafting Item 47 and the voting summary, so they determined it would be a conflict of interest for her to consider it. It was put before the voters.
Prop. 47 reduced the number of people sentenced to prison for nonviolent theft and drug offenses and directed millions of dollars each year to recidivism prevention programs. Instead, Proposition 47 called for misdemeanor charges for individuals who steal merchandise valued at less than $950 or commit drug crimes.
