Written by William Hekman
Californians are growing increasingly frustrated with the rising crime. Much of the rise can be attributed to one bill: Prop 47. Prop 47 changed certain drug and theft crimes from felony to misdemeanor. Since it was adopted in 2014, retail theft crime and drug crimes have gone up around the state, mainly in large cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. But Sacramento legislators are seeking to end the destruction that Prop 47 has brought.
Republican Assemblyman Kevin Kiley was one of three authors of AB 1599 in January would allow voters to repeal Prop 47. “It has essentially legalized theft and open drug use in California, culminating in these unbelievable smash-and-grab robberies,” said Kiley “Voters were egregiously misled about what this would do.” When it was voted on back in 2014, Prop 47 was called the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act. Even some Democrats have become fed up with the rising crime from Prop 47. Democrat Assemblyman Rudy Salas introduced AB 1603, which would bring back the old threshold amount for petty theft and shoplifting which was $400. “We have seen the unintended consequences of Prop 47’s weakening of our theft laws and I believe California voters are ready to make their voices heard on this issue again,” said Salas.
Kiley says that it will be difficult to get the bill passed the heavily-Democratic legislature but says that the unpopularity of Prop 47 could make many legislators vote for his bill, “I do think the situation has gotten so dire that perhaps even this Legislature is ready to take action,” said Kiley. Theft in many Democrat-controlled cities has gotten so bad that many businesses are leaving them, putting people out of work, and forcing people to go farther for much-needed goods. Walgreens shut down a number of stores in San Francisco and a 2021 security survey by the National Retail Federation found that Los Angeles and San Francisco were the top two cities for organized retail thefts.
Hopefully, this bill is passed but it will still have to be signed by Governor Newsom. Either way, Californians are extremely upset at the way California is being run.
Photo Cred: Getty Images
