A majority of Californians support tougher penalties for repeat offenders of theft and fentanyl-related crimes as crime in the state weighs heavily on residents., That's according to a Los Angeles Times poll released Friday.
Approximately 56% of Californians support Proposition 36, a proposed ballot measure that would make theft of $950 or less a felony instead of a misdemeanor for anyone who has been charged with two or more theft-related offenses and would require treatment for anyone arrested for drug possession and convicted of two or more drug offenses. According to According to a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, the bill Regulations Proposition 47, passed in 2014, downgraded theft under $950 and most drug possession charges from felonies to misdemeanors.
In California, retail theft increased 29% from 2019 to 2021, and fentanyl overdose deaths increased 121% during the same period. More broadly, property crime increased 8.7% from 2020 to 2022., According to to the Public Policy Institute of California. (Related story: California taxpayers foot the six-figure bill for photographer to shoot president after Governor Newsom)
The poll found that conservatives were the strongest supporters of the ballot measure, with 69% of supporters describing themselves as “very conservative” and 70% describing themselves as “somewhat conservative.” Only 29% of those who supported Proposition 36 were “very liberal” and 47% described themselves as “somewhat liberal.”
Becky Warren, a spokeswoman for the Yes Proposition 36 campaign, told the Los Angeles Times that the results “reveal that Californians want real solutions to address our homelessness and drug crises” and that the ballot measure would “hold repeat offenders accountable and punish them.”
Today, Governor Gavin Newsom Enacted vital bipartisan legislation to combat retail theft across California.
We are cracking down on retail crime by creating tough new penalties for repeat offenders and providing additional avenues for prosecution. pic.twitter.com/3KbO7CPX6V
— Governor of California (@CAgovernor) August 16, 2024
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a series of new laws into law on Friday, attempting to block new measures that would repeal parts of Proposition 47 by making it easier for prosecutors to add up the value of stolen items to reach the felony threshold for theft. According to To Politico.
Anthony York, a former spokesman for Governor Newsom and now a spokesman for the No Proposition 36 campaign, said the measure is a waste of money and too punitive.
“This is a return of the War on Drugs, re-criminalizing drug possession and wasting billions of dollars on prisons and jails with no way to pay for them,” York told the Los Angeles Times. “Quality of life issues are obviously important — people want to feel safe in their communities, and they should — but they also don't want bad policies that are going to ruin their lives and set them back.”
The poll was conducted online among 3,765 California voters from July 31 to Aug. 11, 2024, and has a margin of error of about 2 percentage points.
Newsom's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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