Prop. 47 is the California initiative passed by the voters in 2014 which raised the bar for property crimes making most retail thefts into misdemeanors. Prop 47 did the same for small amounts of drug possession. And ever since, police have complained that this is part of the reason that rampant shoplifting and open drug use have escalated in places like San Francisco.
As the west coast has gradually swung back from the far left commitment to criminal justice reform and drug legalization (Oregon is reversing its own drug legalization effort after a spike in overdose deaths), Democrats have come under increasing pressure to do something about Prop. 47.
Back in January we learned the Gov. Newsom opposed those efforts. Instead he proposed the creation of some new laws which would (he claimed) address the problems without undoing Prop. 47. Here’s how Politico reported it at the time:
