Newsom’s California is a mess of crime and a huge warning to the nation

California Governor Gavin Newsom has not so subtly promoted his presidential candidate status, calling California a “model for the nation.” There must be no difference from the truth. A notable example is the breakdown of law and order in California under Governor Newsom.

The situation is so dire that Newsom himself recently announced a “law enforcement raid” in Oakland to try to restore some semblance of order. But the rampant crime in the city is nothing new. Its origins date back to his 2014 campaign when Newsom and other California political leaders supported a new law called Proposition 47, the so-called “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act.”

Proposition 47 took a scalpel to the state’s criminal code. The law reclassified many crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, including shoplifting and related theft charges, and the use of drugs such as methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. The result has been chaos on California’s streets over the past decade, with a surge in homelessness, rampant theft, and an epidemic of overdoses.

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Currently, about half of the unsheltered homeless people in the United States live in California. Mainly because of Proposition 47. By reclassifying crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, Prop. 47 forces many people into a never-ending cycle of homelessness.

With limited housing, treatment options, and community-based support systems, many prisoners released early become homeless and struggle to reintegrate into society.

In the 10 years leading up to the enactment of Proposition 47, the state’s homeless population decreased by 38.5%. In the decade since then, that percentage has steadily increased while the national average has remained constant or even gone. Despite record state spending on homelessness and a state of emergency declared on homelessness, the number of homeless people last year increased by 40% over the past five years.

Proposition 47 also caused an epidemic of theft across the state. Reclassifying many of California’s theft-related felonies to misdemeanors and eliminating increased penalties for habitual shoplifters predictably emboldened thieves.

Theft of merchandise valued at less than $950 is now a low-level misdemeanor and usually does not result in an arrest. The individual will be cited and released, but there will be no increased impact on “frequent flyers.”

Perversely, many of these repeat offenders steal to purchase powerful drugs. It has become common to see a thief breaking into a big box store and stealing merchandise, which he then sells on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or Offer Up, and uses the proceeds to buy heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. .

This makes many items prime targets for theft due to their easy access to the resale market, such as tools, Lego, vacuum cleaners, electronics, and basic household items. To combat this trend, we are now seeing stores storing items such as razors, baby formula, soap, shampoo, clothing, and Stanley Cups in large cages and anti-pick locks.

Many businesses, especially big-box stores, have simply stopped reporting theft. In fact, theft-related crimes reclassified under Proposition 47 are so underreported that experts classify the data as unreliable.

To add insult to injury, politicians in Sacramento shamelessly point to official theft numbers as an excuse for not taking action, while citizens keep their grocery store staples in locked containers and cages. It is handled in

On Wednesday, January 26, 2022, in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, California, Daniel LeBleu of Urban Alchemis was cleaning a sidewalk at the intersection of Jones Street and Turk Street in the early morning hours when a homeless person was still sleeping. I reported it to the police. (Getty Images)

The darkest consequence of Proposition 47 is a spike in overdose deaths across the state. There were 10,898 drug-related overdoses in California in 2021 alone, 7,175 of which were opioid-related. In Sacramento, California’s capital, the number of homeless deaths has nearly tripled in the past decade, with nearly half of those deaths due to drug use.

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Proposition 47 made hard drugs cheap and accessible without any incentives or requirements for treatment. A person found in possession of hard drugs is a misdemeanor, and if convicted, he will receive one year of informal probation without undergoing any drug treatment program. Prior to the enactment of Proposition 47, California had drug courts for simple possession offenses, but these programs no longer exist.

To this day, Newsom supports Proposition 47. But Californians are taking matters into their own hands. We are nearing the signatures needed to qualify his initiative for the November ballot, giving voters a chance to end the Proposition 47 era.

Proposition 47 also caused an epidemic of theft across the state. Reclassifying many of California’s theft-related felonies to misdemeanors and eliminating increased penalties for habitual shoplifters predictably emboldened thieves.

The measure is called the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act. It increases penalties for habitual shoplifters, requires treatment for hard drug users, allows charges to be dropped for those who participate in treatment, and imposes greater penalties on hard drug dealers. It is something.

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If passed, this bill would make a significant contribution to improving the quality of life in California. It would also send an important message to the rest of the country about the reckless plans that have degraded our country’s standing. When it comes to public safety, Gavin Newsom’s California is far from a model for the nation. It is a warning to the people.

Vern Pearson is El Dorado County District Attorney and past president of the California District Attorneys Association.

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