The campaign to reform proposition 47 is approaching the deadline to qualify the measure for the November ballot. Launched in mid-February, the campaign must gather 550,000 signatures by the end of April in order to qualify.
The measure seeks to reform Prop 47 in several areas:
- It restores the felony penalties for repeat offenders engaged in retail theft. In addition, it aggregates the value of thefts committed by repeat offenders. It also provides for additional penalties for individuals working together where the value of the damages exceeds $50,000.
- The measure allows judges to sentence drug dealers who traffic in large quantities of hard drugs to state prison and adds non-prescription fentanyl to the list of hard drugs.
- The measure would create a new class of crime called a “treatment-mandated felony” in which offenders could be given a choice between treatment programs and jail time in certain cases. In those cases, if offenders complete the treatment program the charges would be expunged.
Proposition 47 was passed in 2014 as one of three measures to reduce California’s jail population. Along with AB 109 and Proposition 57, it succeeded in reducing California’s prison population. Supporters of reform claim that the unintended consequences include increased property crimes, homelessness and drug addiction. By increasing penalties and restoring incentives for treatment, the proponents hope to reverse these unintended consequences.
The measure has received bipartisan support that has included Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley and Democratic Mayors London Breed in San Francisco and Matt Mahan in San Jose. The California District Attorneys Association, the California Police Chiefs Association and Crime Victims United have all backed the measure.
Major funding for the signature gathering effort has come from three large national retailers: Walmart, Home Depot and Target.
CAGOP Bay Area Regional Vice Chair Jason Clark, the San Francisco GOP, and the Contra Costa County Republican Party are actively leading the signature gathering effort among Bay Area Republicans.
You can also contact Jason Clark at bayareavc@cagop.org to find out who is circulating petitions in your area. You can ask for a petition to be sent to you by clicking End47.com. Be sure you return your petitions by April 5 in order to make sure your signatures are counted by the deadline.
You can find out more about the measure by visiting the Californians for Safer Communities casafecommunities.com.