(TheRedWire.com) – Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County, California, is spearheading an initiative to repeal a 2012 ballot measure, Proposition 47, which he believes is exacerbating the state’s issues with homelessness and crime. Bianco is urging Governor Gavin Newsom to support this reversal, attributing a significant part of the state’s public safety challenges to the effects of Prop 47. This legislation, passed in 2012, downgraded certain felonies, including shoplifting and drug possession, to misdemeanors if the stolen goods are valued under $950.
Bianco criticized the original portrayal of Prop 47 to voters, arguing that it has failed to fulfill its promises of safer schools and streets, instead leading to increased retail theft, home burglaries, and a rise in homelessness and drug addiction. He is advocating for the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act, aiming to reinstate stricter penalties for narcotics possession and allowing the aggregation of theft incidents to meet the felony threshold, in an effort to combat serial theft.
The sheriff argues for a return to a system that emphasizes consequences for criminal actions, including the potential for rehabilitation or jail time, to deter crime and address drug addiction effectively. Despite Newsom’s opposition and belief that Prop 47 does not require voter reconsideration, Bianco insists that only a new voter initiative can amend the issues created by the original measure.
While Newsom suggests that the state’s crime problems are not solely due to Prop 47 and points to organized retail theft as a separate issue, Bianco contends that the current legislative attempts to amend the law are insufficient and lack enforceability.
Disagreement over Prop 47 is not universal among California Democrats. San Francisco Mayor London Breed supports modifying the law, believing it would positively impact the state’s battle against drug-related issues and chronic retail theft.
As Bianco’s campaign to revise Prop 47 gathers signatures for the upcoming ballot, he remains critical of the state’s leadership, arguing that the failure to address the law’s repercussions has fueled a public safety crisis. He warns that without substantial changes, crime and drug problems in California will continue to escalate. Bianiansco remains hopeful that the new measure will reach the ballot and believes that voter sentiment is in favor of reforming Prop 47 to address these ongoing issues.
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