A Democrat California senator filed a measure that would overturn the state’s Proposition 47. This has been blamed for the state’s chronic stealing and smash-and-grab crime epidemic.
Following the bill’s presentation on Tuesday, Democrat Assemblyman Rudy Salas stated it is sufficient for residents to fight back against crooks who are looting their neighborhoods.
Details of Prop 47
California’s Proposition 47, which was approved in 2014, lowered shoplifting penalties involving thefts of less than $950 from felonies to misdemeanors.
The new law would reduce the amount of money a suspect may take before being charged with a felony from $1,000 to $400, which was the previous threshold before Proposition 47.
Newsy day in CA. Democratic Assemblyman and Congressional candidate @rudysalasjr introduced a bill to amend Proposition 47 and lower the retail theft threshold from $950 back to $400. pic.twitter.com/UvgZmVpjd8
— Hannah Wiley (@hannahcwiley) January 4, 2022
The unintended repercussions of Prop 47’s weakening of California’s theft laws have been witnessed. Salas feels California voters are prepared to have their views represented on this topic once more.
Before becoming law, the bill must be approved by the California legislature and approved by a majority of voters in a statewide referendum.
According to Fox Digital, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office stated on Wednesday it did not have any comments on the current legislation, but if the measure were to reach the governor’s desk, it will be examined on its merits.
Proposition 47 was endorsed by Newsom while he was lieutenant governor in 2014; the measure was defended by the governor last month, who called on authorities to use existing laws to prosecute offenders.
The initiative was backed by Democrats in the state legislature, including then-Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner and then-state Sen. Mark Leno, as well as groups like the ACLU and celebrities such as Jay-Z.
Increased Crime
Multiple smash-and-grab incidents in California, particularly in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, attracted the attention of law enforcement officials around the country during the peak holiday shopping season.
Several Nordstrom stores, drugstores, pot dispensaries, and high-end retail stores have been targeted by looting hordes in the previous two months. This resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage and stolen products being left behind.
Proposition 47 has been singled out by law enforcement officers and state politicians as the source of the crimes.
It might have been an experiment, but it was also a flop. According to KFSN, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims stated about Proposition 47 that “it is time to alter things.”
The regrettable thing that happens is criminals get so confident their offenses become increasingly serious, she continued.
On Tuesday, a pair of California Republicans, state Rep. Kevin Kiley and Assemblyman James Gallagher, submitted a measure that would overturn Proposition 47 in its entirety, with the support of the governor.
I’ve officially introduced legislation to repeal Prop. 47. It’s a quaint notion but I think stealing things should be treated as criminal conduct.
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) January 5, 2022
This is what happens when you enact laws that legitimize illegal behavior, while also having prosecutors who fail to hold individuals accountable, according to Kiley, who released a statement regarding his measure.
Due to the Democrats’ overwhelming majority in the state legislature, it seems doubtful that Republicans’ measure will be implemented.
