A majority of Californians support harsher penalties for repeat theft and fentanyl-related offenses as crime in the state weighs on residents, according to a poll released Friday by the Los Angeles Times.
Around 56% of Californians agree with the proposed ballot measure Proposition 36, which would make theft under $950 a felony instead of a misdemeanor if the person has two or more previous theft-related charges and mandates treatment for people who are caught with drugs and have two or more past drug convictions, according to the University of California at Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the L.A. Times. The measure would roll back provisions in Proposition 47, which was passed in 2014 and downgraded theft under $950 and most drug possession charges from felonies to misdemeanors.
California saw a 29% increase in retail theft from 2019 to 2021 and a 121% increase in fentanyl overdose deaths in the same time period. More broadly, property crimes increased by 8.7% from 2020 to 2022, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
The largest supporters of the ballot measure were conservatives, with 69% who were in favor being “strongly conservative” and 70% being “somewhat conservative,” according to the poll. Only 29% of those who were supportive of Proposition 36 were “strongly liberal” and 47% were “somewhat liberal.”
Becky Warren, spokesperson for the Yes on Proposition 36 campaign, told the L.A. Times that the result “confirms that Californians want real solutions to address our homelessness and drug crises” and the ballot measure will ensure that “repeat offenders face accountability and consequences.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been attempting to stifle the new measure’s rollback of parts of Proposition 47 by signing a new set of laws Friday that enables prosecutors to add up the value of stolen goods to make it easier to reach the felony threshold for theft, according to Politico.
Anthony York, former Newsom spokesman and current spokesman for No on Proposition 36 campaign, said the measure would be a waste of money and be too punitive.
“It’s really about bringing back the war on drugs; re-criminalizing drug possession and wasting billions of dollars on prisons and jails with zero way to pay for it,” York told the L.A. Times. “Quality-of-life issues are important, understandably. People want and deserve to feel safe in their own communities. But they also don’t want bad policies that are going to ruin lives and take us backward.”
The poll sampled 3,765 likely voters in California online from July 31 to August 11, 2024, with an approximately 2% margin of error.
Newsom’s Office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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