In a sudden reversal, Governor Gavin Newsom, along with legislative leaders, has pulled the plug on a proposed measure aimed at combatting crime which would have faced off against another initiative on the November ballot. The scrapped proposal, designed to enhance penalties for repeat instances of shoplifting and for dealers complicit in the fentanyl crisis, will not be up for voter consideration this year.
Newsom's decision arrived just shy of the legislative cut-off, which would require a majority vote in each house for the measure to secure its place on the ballot. According to Politico, the move was communicated through a late caucus call to Democrats, some of whom had already expressed discontent with what they perceived as a hastily assembled strategy to overshadow political rivals.
The alternative crime measure had promised not to repeat the "damaging policies of decades past," as stated by Newsom in an announcement. The Governor intended for the measure to introduce new penalties for repeated offenses, stricter accountability for fentanyl distribution, and to broaden access to drug treatment, as reported by ABC10. Despite this, the administration cited an inability to meet the ballot deadline for necessary amendments as the reason behind the withdrawal.
Newsom also placed some of the blame on the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA), which is backing the rival measure and, according to Newsom, declined to engage in a collaborative effort, preferring to "instead push a ballot measure that would revive policies from the era of mass incarceration and the failed War on Drugs" he told Politico.
In response, Greg Totten, CEO of the CDAA and co-chair of Californians for Safer Communities, praised the Governor's decision. "We are pleased The Governor and Legislature have dropped their countermeasure, and welcome them to join our campaign to responsibly amend Prop 47 to deal with retail theft, the fentanyl crisis and homelessness," Totten stated to Politico.
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