(The Center Square) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a 10-bill anti-crime package as Democrats in the state race to address perceptions of rising crime in California as a new anti-crime ballot measure opposed by the governor seems increasingly likely to pass.
“I thank the bipartisan group of lawmakers, our retail partners, and advocates for putting public safety over politics,” said Newsom in a statement. “While some try to take us back to ineffective and costly policies of the past, these new laws present a better way forward — making our communities safer and providing meaningful tools to help law enforcement arrest criminals and hold them accountable.”
Newsom’s reference to Proposition 36, an anti-crime ballot measure that a new Los Angeles Times poll says 56% of voters support and only 23% oppose. Prop. 36 would change Prop. 47, a 2014 measure that turned potential felonies into misdemeanors for many crimes, by allowing for felony charges for serial thieves. It would also create a “treatment-mandated felony” crime class that allows individuals to get treatment for mental health or behavioral issues and receive shelter instead of going to prison.