California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and many Democrat lawmakers reversed course and scrapped an anti-crime ballot measure that was announced one day prior.
According to several reports, the legislation was meant to compete with a similar one backed by Republican state lawmakers. The Republican-backed bill will appear on the ballot this November.
In a statement, Newsom said that Democrats “are unable to meet the ballot deadline to secure necessary amendments to ensure this measure’s success and we will be withdrawing it from consideration.”
Newsom touted the competing ballot measure as a “critical step” to address property crime and fentanyl trafficking. The propositional measure would implement new penalties for repeat offenders, crackdown on serial shoplifters, enhance felony prosecutions for fentanyl dealers, and increase resources for drug treatment programs, according to Newsom’s website.
“Californians want safer, stronger communities, and we’re delivering exactly that with this commonsense approach,” Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D) said in a statement when the initiative was announced. “These are a methodical set of measures that will crack down on retail theft and hold offenders accountable for hardcore drug crimes, without enacting the draconian policies of the ‘80s and ‘90s that devastated communities of color and cost taxpayers billions of dollars.”
Lawmakers were scheduled to vote on Newsom’s measure on Wednesday night. Newsom was required to sign the legislation before midnight Wednesday to make the ballot, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Times noted that Newsom’s measure lacked support from law enforcement, as well as members of his own party (via the LA Times):
After talks collapsed, Newsom and Democratic leaders came up with the plan to draft their own alternative measure. But it struggled to gain support — felled by opposition from progressive Democrats who oppose stiffer criminal penalties and want to avoid filling jails, as well as from moderate Democrats who value support from sheriffs and district attorneys backing the more conservative measure. Newsom’s measure didn’t have any support from law enforcement groups.
The Legislature’s Black caucus opposed the measure, Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City) said during a hearing Tuesday morning, with concerns that it could disproportionately affect Black Californians. The bill passed a procedural vote on the Assembly floor on Monday but didn’t garner a majority of the full chamber, a rare occurrence for a bill backed by leadership.
The bill backed by Republicans aims to repeal parts of Proposition 47, a bill that turned many crimes in the state from felonies to misdemeanors. According to The Hill, this bill is backed by conservatives, big-box retailers and prosecutors.
“We are pleased the Governor and Legislature have dropped their countermeasure and welcome them to join our campaign to responsibly amend Prop 47 to deal with retail theft, the fentanyl crisis and homelessness,” a statement from Greg Totten, CEO of the California District Attorneys Association, said.
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