California has resoundingly voted “Yes” on Prop. 36, which reforms Prop. 47, a decades-old law that was supposed to usher in criminal justice reform but instead encouraged the escalation of crime. Vice President and Democrat nominee Kamala Harris may have won the presidential race in the state, but by voting for Prop. 36, the citizens have rejected the policies she codified in place with her endorsement of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón and her assistance in seeing Prop 47 passed when she served as California’s Attorney General.
Seemingly fed up with increased crime across the state, California voters have voted “yes” to Proposition 36 in favor of harsher penalties for crimes such as theft and drug trafficking.
In perhaps a likely foreshadowing, a survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California in September found 71% of voters supported the prop and at least 41% also said the outcome was “very important.”
This reverses Prop 47 that passed a decade ago, which was intended to offer alternative strategies to help reduce the state’s jail and prison population.
Now, certain drug offenses and thefts under $950 can be classified as felonies rather than misdemeanors if the suspected perpetrator has two or more past convictions for theft crimes.
It was a long, hard-fought battle, but the people of California overcame and won. In 2023, the Californians for Safer Communities Coalition mounted a signature campaign to reform Prop 47 and toughen penalties for retail theft, fentanyl sale and possession, and toughen up convictions and sentencing. The coalition gathered enough signatures to get the initiative on the November 5 ballot, while Governor Gavin Newsom worked to try and remove the measure from the ballot. When that did not succeed, he tried to mount a countermeasure to compete with Prop 36 to neutralize it. Newsom ultimately dropped his legislative agenda, but still worked to kneecap the citizen-led initiative through deceptive messaging and ads.
The vote of the people prevailed, issuing a full-throated condemnation of the social justice and soft-on-crime policies fostered by Newsom, Harris, and Gascón.
In other potentially good news for combatting crime in California, The city of Oakland is set to recall its terrible Mayor Sheng Thao.
The first Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Recall votes are in
YES — 22,714 votes (64.2%)
NO — 12,653 votes (35.8%) pic.twitter.com/TI5PJOJWIb— BAY AREA STATE OF MIND (@YayAreaNews) November 6, 2024
The Bay area is also divesting itself of the horrific Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.
The first Alameda County DA Pamela Price Recall votes are in
YES — 95,250 votes (64.7)
NO — 52,013 votes (35.3%) pic.twitter.com/INDe4qfklP— BAY AREA STATE OF MIND (@YayAreaNews) November 6, 2024
It also looks like Los Angeles County D.A. George Gascon is on his way out the door as challenger Nathan Hochman takes an early large lead. If all the election results hold, it’s a new day in California for sanity and public safety.
Related: Looks Like Los Angeles Is Going to Jettison Infamous Woke District Attorney George Gascón
It looks like Los Angeles is going to fire George Gascón tonight 🥳 https://t.co/klgun8qH4k pic.twitter.com/3Z9hkYmfYa
— Mexican Rug Dealer (@DealinRugs) November 6, 2024
