Newsom signs legislation to block support for tough-on-crime initiative – Washington Examiner

As California residents prepare to vote on Proposition 36, a ballot initiative aimed at reducing crime in the Golden State, Governor Gavin Newsom addressed the issue on Friday by signing a package of 10 bills addressing property and drug crime.

Newsom and California's Democratic leadership have opposed Prop 36, claiming it will usher in a new era of mass incarceration and is not cost-effective. Newsom's opposition to Prop 36, a legal expert tells the Washington Examinerannounces his intention to take action against crime before the election.

“The main purpose of these bills is to convince people not to vote for Prop 36,” said John Shu, a California legal scholar and constitutional law expert.

“It's not because Governor Newsom really wants to do something about high crime,” he said. “It's because 900,000 Californians signed the petition to put Prop 36, which reforms Prop 47 but does not repeal it, on the ballot.”

A poll conducted Friday found that 56% of residents support Proposition 36. But it remains to be seen whether the recently signed law will satisfy California's hunger for tougher criminal laws, as the state is plagued by shoplifting and organized crime.

The Yes on Proposition 36 campaign criticized California's leadership for shelving two bills that they said “would have been very helpful” in dealing with lightning strikes. They also shelved a bill that would have allowed the total value of stolen property to be added together when classifying a crime as a felony or misdemeanor, rather than looking at each theft individually.

“These newly passed bills are half-measures and do not address the fundamental problems of repeat theft, the fentanyl epidemic, and the ongoing homelessness crisis that remains unaddressed due to a lack of incentives for drug treatment,” they said in their statement on the bills.

Shu, who served under the George HW Bush and George W. Bush administrations, said he was “glad” that some anti-shoplifting laws were enacted. But he agreed that the package of bills signed by Newsom does not protect Californians from property crimes that, he stressed, put lives at risk.

The package addresses cargo theft, makes it easier to track car thefts, requires online marketplaces to collect bank accounts and tax identification numbers from certain sellers, and allows retailers to obtain injunctions against convicted shoplifters.

Shu said there is not much overlap between Prop 36 and the package signed by Newsom, creating the opportunity for the measures to “work together harmoniously.”

“Anyone who supports the new laws that Governor Newsom signed should also vote for Prop 36 this November,” Shu said, “because both laws work harmoniously together, assuming it is passed, to try to reduce these crimes, particularly property and drug crimes.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Democratic mayors of San Francisco and San Jose, London Breed and Matt Mahan, have announced their support for Prop 36 despite Newsom's opposition. Although Newsom introduced the anti-shoplifting package at a Home Depot in San Jose, Mahan was not present. Home Depot has donated over $1 million in support of Prop 36 as many retailers face rising insurance and deductible costs related to shoplifting.

The Washington Examiner has asked Newsom for comment.