California Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley and his state’s GOP delegation are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Democrats to stop “cynical political tactics” to legislatively undermine bipartisan crime-fighting efforts.
On Tuesday, the Secretary of State’s Office announced that voters will have a chance to repeal key parts of the controversial Proposition 47 in the November general election. The measure was placed on the ballot after collecting more than 600,000 valid signatures. According to the Secretary of State’s Office, only 546,651 signatures were needed for the measure to be approved. The measure significantly reduced penalties for certain drug and property crimes.
However, Governor Newsom and Golden State Democrats oppose the bill and are trying to fast-track their own public safety bill on curbing retail theft crimes without amending Proposition 47. Some Democrats are planning to introduce a stall clause into the proposed bill. Public Security He will introduce legislation to prevent Proposition 47’s reforms from going into effect if voters approve them, a move he argues would ensure the law is consistent.
“This measure repeals the most problematic provisions of 2014’s Proposition 47. This is a much-needed policy fix to address the growing issues of retail theft, outdoor drug markets and homelessness in our state,” Kiley wrote in a letter to Gov. Newsom on Tuesday.
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On the left is California Governor Gavin Newsom, and on the right is U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley. (Getty Images)
The California Republican added that the petition has not only been signed by hundreds of thousands of Californians, but also has bipartisan support from lawmakers including San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.
Tuesday’s letter was signed by every Republican member of California’s U.S. House delegation.
“It is clear that the sole purpose of this novel legislative maneuver is to provide talking points for opponents of the ballot initiative and to use them in their campaigns and perhaps on the ballot itself to confuse voters and undermine the will of the people of California,” the letter read.
“There is a long and troubling tradition of referendum language being distorted, but the current setup poses an unprecedented threat to the entire referendum process. This tactic could be used by lawmakers to block unwanted referendums in the future by simply cherry-picking a popular part of an existing law and stipulating that the law would be repealed if the referendum passes. This would completely defeat the purpose of the referendum process, which is to give voters a direct say on issues affecting our state.”
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California Governor Gavin Newsom opposes efforts to revise Proposition 47. (California Governor Gavin Newsom’s YouTube channel)
Leaders of the movement to repeal Proposition 47, known as the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act, argue that the law led to an increase in thefts and robberies after it lowered the minimum shoplifting amount to $950. The law also lowered theft and receiving stolen property from felonies to misdemeanors.
According to Kiley’s office, Newsom and the Democrats’ bill “will take effect immediately and will be automatically repealed if the referendum passes.”
“The cynical political conspiracy orchestrated to overturn this initiative is an insult to every California voter,” Kiley wrote.
“California law provides law enforcement and prosecutors with powerful tools to arrest and prosecute those engaged in organized retail crime, including penalties of up to three years in prison for organized retail theft,” a spokesperson for Governor Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital in an email.
“The state has the lowest (i.e. toughest) fine in the nation for prosecutors to charge a suspect with a felony, at $950. The majority of states, including Republican-leaning states like Texas ($2,500), South Carolina ($2,000) and Mississippi ($1,000), have weaker laws that require much higher fines to charge a suspect with a felony,” the spokesperson added.
The letter comes as the state’s progressives have appeared to roll back soft-on-crime policies in recent months. In a February Public Policy Institute report, researchers tracked increases in shoplifting, especially in the Bay Area, and even more increases in commercial burglaries in California’s urban counties from 2020 to 2022. Shoplifting increased 29% statewide from 2021 to 2022.
According to a 2023 report from the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association. Organized Retail Crime It was the main driver of the huge “losses” experienced by retailers in 2022, with non-employee theft accounting for 36%.
The term “shrink” typically refers to theft and other inventory losses, with retailers nationwide experiencing losses of $112 billion in 2022.
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The owners of Mezaz Jewelry in El Monte fought back against an attempted robber. (Meza Jewelry)
NRF said Los Angeles was one of the California cities hardest hit by the ORC. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department California created an organized retail theft task force, a move that many law enforcement officials blame for the rise in thefts and robberies that have plagued the state since the COVID-19 pandemic began. At the same time, California became synonymous with robbery crime after videos of thieves brazenly ransacking stores went viral.
On the other hand, opponents of tough-on-crime laws argue that harsher penalties are too extreme for the crimes they inflict and may hinder rehabilitation, especially for minorities.
People camp out on the streets of San Francisco on April 15, 2023. (Fox News Digital flight risk)
“There are a lot of moving parts and a lot of negotiations going on at the same time,” Newsom told reporters on Friday, “including Proposition 47.”
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Last year, the Democratic governor announced more than $267 million to increase arrests and prosecutions. Organized Retail Crime Earlier this year, Governor Newsom recalled witnessing a shoplifter steal from a Sacramento Target, after which he confronted the store clerk.
“I said, ‘Why didn’t you stop him?'” Newsom said during a Zoom call on mental health in January. “She said, ‘Oh, the governor.’ I swear to God, this is a true story that will be inscribed on my mother’s grave: ‘The governor lowered the standards, so he’s not to blame.’ I said, ‘That’s just not true.'”
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
