(The Center Square) – California legislators at a rally against Proposition 36, a bill that would increase penalties for repeat theft and major drug crimes, claimed media was behind the increase in perception that crime in the state is worsening.
In a video from KCRA, California’s leading legislators gathered in front of the state capitol building for a “No on 36” rally. Prop. 36 an anti-crime ballot measure that a new Los Angeles Times poll says 56% of voters support and only 23% oppose. Prop. 36 would change Prop. 47, a 2014 measure that turned potential felonies into misdemeanors for many crimes, by allowing for felony charges for serial thieves. It would also create a “treatment-mandated felony” crime class that allows individuals to get treatment for mental health or behavioral issues and receive shelter instead of going to prison.
Democratic legislators speaking against Prop. 36 warned that the bill would significantly increase the prison population and disproportionately affect underserved and minority communities, and that the media is to blame for the perceptions driving anti-crime sentiment among voters.
“The media has helped in that, quite frankly, by showing every single break-in that happens,” said Assemblyman Ash Kalra, D-San Jose. “They don’t show the wage theft that’s happening and how people are being robbed left and right, do they?”
“Because of MAGA individuals, MAGA law enforcement, MAGA press and MAGA politicians want to reverse us back to those days when they could lock up as many Black and brown people as possible,” said Assemblyman Reggie-Jones Sawyer, D-Los Angeles.
Prop. 36 has split the Democratic party, with state-level officials often aligning against the measure, while some high-profile municipal Democratic leaders have backed the measure, such as San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.
“You can’t end the era of encampments without launching the era of mass treatment. Proposition 36 gives us that opportunity, said Mahan on X.
“Prop. 47 needs to be reformed because we went from mass incarceration to a massive failure of accountability,” continued Mahan on X. “And what we really need is mass treatment.”
California’s homeless population at last count was just over 180,000. While crime is down in much of California, some of its cities have seen major increases in a very short period of time. In Oakland, for example, violent crime has more than doubled year-over-year, leading California Gov. Gavin Newsom to deploy extra prosecutors from the California National Guard to help put more criminals away more quickly.