City leaders voice support for November anti-crime ballot measure

Proponent also held a press conference in support of Prop. 36 before the hearing

By Jolena Voorhis, legislative affairs lobbyist

The Senate and Assembly public safety committees on Tuesday held a joint hearing on Proposition 36. Cal Cities supports the initiative, also known as the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act.

If approved by the voters in November, Prop. 36 would create a deterrent for repeat retail theft offenders and redirect some people towards treatment rather than incarceration by rolling back parts of Proposition 47. The 2014 initiative reclassified certain theft and drug crimes.

Three individuals testified in support of Proposition 36, including Redding Council Member Mark Mezzano, who spoke on behalf of Cal Cities.

"City officials are hearing from their residents, law enforcement officers, and small business owners that there are there are gaps in our system," Mezzano said. "We need to address the pieces of Prop. 47 that are making it harder for public safety officials to keep our communities safe.

Mezzano noted that the Legislature's retail theft package and Prop. 36 can work in concert. However, those bills fall short when it comes to reducing repeat offenders, he added. To impose stiffer penalties, voters would need to amend Prop. 47 - hence the initiative.

"Proposition 36 is not about returning to the era of mass incarceration," he stressed. "It provides smart, tailored tools that help protect our businesses and create safer communities.

The California District Attorneys Association, the initiative's sponsor, and Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper spoke in support of the measure too. They noted that Prop. 36 would provide them with more tools to address repeat offenders, reinstate drug courts, and provide adequate punishment for drug dealers.

The independent Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) also provided an overview of Prop. 47 and the proposed changes during the hearing. Analyst Caitlin O'Neil stated Prop. 36 could have a fiscal impact in the tens of millions and lead to a few thousand new convictions. However, the actual number of new convictions - an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 - would depend on the discretion of district attorneys and the courts.

Other proponents of the measure include parents who lost loved ones to fentanyl overdoses. They spoke at a press conference before the hearing in support of the measure. "My family has suffered the unimaginable loss of a child due to the fentanyl crisis," said Pamela Smith. "This problem, which has become all too real for so many, demands an urgent solution."

Local leaders and parents both expressed frustration at the lack of action from state lawmakers on the fentanyl crisis.

"For years we have urged policymakers to take meaningful action against the fentanyl epidemic to protect the lives of our children and loved ones," Matt Capelouto said. "The Legislature is once again adjourned, leaving us with no concrete solutions to the deadliest drug epidemic in history. You know who hasn't adjourned? The fentanyl dealers."

For more information about Prop. 36, contact your regional public affairs manager.

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