Opinion: The evidence doesn’t support claims of a ‘retail theft surge.’ We must protect Prop 47.
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Opinion: The evidence doesn’t support claims of a ‘retail theft surge.’ We must protect Prop 47.
As San Diego becomes the most expensive place to live in America and more San Diegans are forced to live on the streets, Mayor Todd Gloria, who ran a campaign criticizing his predecessor for criminalizing San Diego’s poorest and sickest residents, has finally found the culprit: toothpaste cartels and Proposition 47. His solution? Lock up people, “not laundry detergent,” and ignore the votes of Californians. This new stance is supported by the talking points of law enforcement, which is eager to return to the days of “tough on crime,” but little to no evidence. If anything, Proposition 47 should be celebrated and built upon, not rolled back.
By approving Proposition 47 10 years ago, voters stopped sending people convicted of low-level crimes, like petty theft and the possession of drugs for personal use, to state prison for up to three years. These disproportionate and costly punishments were covered by our tax dollars. Instead, voters said, those low-level, nonviolent crimes should be misdemeanors, punishable by up to a year in jail. With Proposition 47, we are no longer only responding to crime after it has been committed; savings gained from reductions in prison incarceration are now reallocated back to communities for programs that prevent crime by addressing its root causes.
This commonsense approach has made all of us safer.
As Gloria and a well-funded (law enforcement-infused) disinformation campaign across the state seek to distract us from their failures and incompetence, one thing is clear: The voters were right.
Despite their talking points, low-level shoplifting rates are 20 percent lower today than they were prior to Proposition 47. After it went into effect, statewide violent and property crime rates declined steadily. Before the pandemic, property crime rates hit some of the lowest levels in the recorded history of the state. Contrary to the tough on crime propaganda of major retailers and law enforcement, the high profile smash-and-grab robberies highlighted on TV and social media were not impacted by Proposition 47. Using sensational claims to make San Diegans fear for their safety is insulting. Doing so while boasting of a decrease in crime, as Gloria did in the State of the City address, is dishonest and dangerous.
Meanwhile, California has saved hundreds of millions of dollars from reduced prison incarceration and prevented its criminally overcrowded prison system from being forcefully taken over by the federal government. The more than $800 million in savings that Proposition 47 has realized so far, with estimates that it will save about $100 million annually in perpetuity, have allowed harm prevention programs across the state to blossom.
Board of State and Community Corrections data show that, statewide, Proposition 47-funded programs have seen employment increases threefold among participants, while rates of homelessness fell by nearly half. All of this occurring while recidivism plummeted. These are the types of programs that address the homeless crisis, not grandstanding speeches and a public love affair with police.
Yet Gloria feels comfortable repeating the baseless myth that Proposition 47 is making us less safe by preventing accountability for crime. The fact is Proposition 47 did not decriminalize crime. Repeat offenders can still be charged with felonies under the existing law, law enforcement can still arrest people who break the law, and, if they are convicted, sentence them to time in jail.
The lies to the contrary are a convenient distraction from Gloria’s failure to live up to his campaign promises.
Voters were right a decade ago when they said we cannot continue to rely on incarceration alone to protect our safety. We must take a shared approach to public safety by prioritizing the prevention of crime and harm before they occur. Proposition 47 continues to be an important step in that direction. To abandon those investments now, and return to the days when politicians stoke fear and blame crime for their failures to govern, would be an enormous mistake and will cost us more than just our safety.
As San Diego becomes the most expensive place to live in America and more San Diegans are forced to live on the streets, Mayor Todd Gloria, who ran a campaign criticizing his predecessor for criminalizing San Diego’s poorest and sickest residents, has finally found the culprit: toothpaste cartels and Proposition 47. His solution? Lock up people, “not laundry detergent,” and ignore the votes of Californians. This new stance is supported by the talking points of law enforcement, which is eager to return to the days of “tough on crime,” but little to no evidence. If anything, Proposition 47 should be celebrated and built upon, not rolled back.
By approving Proposition 47 10 years ago, voters stopped sending people convicted of low-level crimes, like petty theft and the possession of drugs for personal use, to state prison for up to three years. These disproportionate and costly punishments were covered by our tax dollars. Instead, voters said, those low-level, nonviolent crimes should be misdemeanors, punishable by up to a year in jail. With Proposition 47, we are no longer only responding to crime after it has been committed; savings gained from reductions in prison incarceration are now reallocated back to communities for programs that prevent crime by addressing its root causes.
This commonsense approach has made all of us safer.
As Gloria and a well-funded (law enforcement-infused) disinformation campaign across the state seek to distract us from their failures and incompetence, one thing is clear: The voters were right.
Despite their talking points, low-level shoplifting rates are 20 percent lower today than they were prior to Proposition 47. After it went into effect, statewide violent and property crime rates declined steadily. Before the pandemic, property crime rates hit some of the lowest levels in the recorded history of the state. Contrary to the tough on crime propaganda of major retailers and law enforcement, the high profile smash-and-grab robberies highlighted on TV and social media were not impacted by Proposition 47. Using sensational claims to make San Diegans fear for their safety is insulting. Doing so while boasting of a decrease in crime, as Gloria did in the State of the City address, is dishonest and dangerous.
Meanwhile, California has saved hundreds of millions of dollars from reduced prison incarceration and prevented its criminally overcrowded prison system from being forcefully taken over by the federal government. The more than $800 million in savings that Proposition 47 has realized so far, with estimates that it will save about $100 million annually in perpetuity, have allowed harm prevention programs across the state to blossom.
Board of State and Community Corrections data show that, statewide, Proposition 47-funded programs have seen employment increases threefold among participants, while rates of homelessness fell by nearly half. All of this occurring while recidivism plummeted. These are the types of programs that address the homeless crisis, not grandstanding speeches and a public love affair with police.
Yet Gloria feels comfortable repeating the baseless myth that Proposition 47 is making us less safe by preventing accountability for crime. The fact is Proposition 47 did not decriminalize crime. Repeat offenders can still be charged with felonies under the existing law, law enforcement can still arrest people who break the law, and, if they are convicted, sentence them to time in jail.
The lies to the contrary are a convenient distraction from Gloria’s failure to live up to his campaign promises.
Voters were right a decade ago when they said we cannot continue to rely on incarceration alone to protect our safety. We must take a shared approach to public safety by prioritizing the prevention of crime and harm before they occur. Proposition 47 continues to be an important step in that direction. To abandon those investments now, and return to the days when politicians stoke fear and blame crime for their failures to govern, would be an enormous mistake and will cost us more than just our safety.
