In California, both the rampant rise in retail theft and the surging drug trafficking crimes are causing deep concern among the state’s residents and businesses. As a result, more and more enterprises and business leaders are joining forces, urging voters to amend the confusion caused by Proposition 47 and to harshly punish criminals.
An initiative called “The Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act,” is expected to be on the ballot in the November election. This bipartisan initiative aims to amend Proposition 47, improve community safety, hold habitual thieves and serious drug traffickers accountable, deter major criminals, and encourage more participation in and completion of drug rehabilitation programs.
Nigel Jones Calabash, co-founder of the Oakland-East Bay Independent Business Alliance, stated: “The ongoing threat of theft and crime is eroding the fabric of our communities and jeopardizing the survival of small businesses. This common-sense initiative is the urgently needed solution to fundamentally address California’s most concerning public safety issues.”
On April 18th, the Californians for Safer Communities Coalition, pushing for the amendment of Proposition 47, announced that over 900,000 voter signatures supporting the initiative to “Reduce Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Addiction” have been submitted. Once the registrar verifies that at least 546,651 of these signatures are valid voter signatures, the initiative will be on the ballot in November.
The initiative includes three main points: anyone arrested for theft three times, regardless of the amount stolen, will be considered a felony; there will be tougher penalties for drug dealers, especially those selling fentanyl, to further combat drug addiction and homelessness; and individuals caught with hard drugs like heroin or cocaine will be required to undergo mandatory drug rehabilitation, or they will face felony charges.
Under the current Proposition 47 in California, many offenders have not faced appropriate repercussions. Passed in 2014, Proposition 47 reduced drug possession, theft, shoplifting, check forgery, and other serious crimes to misdemeanors, and thefts under $950, regardless of repeated offenses, do not lead to imprisonment.
After years of the well-known “Misdemeanor Theft under $950” law being in effect, California is now plagued by homelessness, rampant thefts, and drug proliferation. However, state officials, including the governor, continue to support Proposition 47.
Julian Cañete, Chairman and CEO of the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, believes that rampant retail theft is prompting businesses to move out, with small enterprises being the biggest victims. He stresses the need for sensible reform to ensure habitual offenders are held accountable.
As nearly a million voters have signed in support of the initiative to “Reduce Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Addiction,” elected officials, law enforcement agencies, the California District Attorneys Association, local prosecutors, the California Police Chiefs Association, the California Sheriffs’ Association, and other public safety leaders have all expressed clear support.
Additionally, 36 family and minority business organizations, along with over 330 businesses from regions such as the Bay Area, Northern California, the Central Valley, Southern California, the Inland Empire, and the Central Coast, have joined the alliance supporting the initiative.
Robert Rivinius, Executive Director of the California Business Roundtable, points out that if habitual offenders in retail theft are not punished, business and employee safety are compromised, affecting normal business operations.
The Californians for Safer Communities Coalition urges Californians to spread awareness about the importance of this initiative. ◇