Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a package of laws he claims to be “the most significant legislation to address property crime in modern California history.” Embattled Californians might regard the measures as a delayed reaction to a primary cause of the crime hike.
The 2014 Proposition 47, titled the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act” by then-Attorney General Kamala Harris, made thefts of up to $950 a misdemeanor, but there was more to it. Harris’ summary failed to note that the measure restricted the collection of DNA from criminals, who took the measure as a license to steal. Cars became a primary target.
In 2015 and 2016, reported vehicle break-ins were up 21 percent and 27 percent, and in 2017, vehicle break-ins surpassed previous records, with a 24 percent increase above 2016 levels. The targets included the contents of vehicles, which in short order jumped from 16,000–17000 to 19,000–20,000, and also vehicle parts.
Under Proposition 47, thefts of catalytic converters soared. In 2019, the city of Davis reported nine thefts in one week, with the Toyota Prius a primary target. Costs to replace a catalytic converter can easily exceed $1,000. Thieves targeted one couple three times in four months, and arrests were rare. That is because to make a misdemeanor arrest, an officer must have witnessed the crime.
As Robert Greene of the Los Angeles Times notes, “How likely is it that a police officer or sheriff’s deputy just happens to be standing by when a suspect grabs an item worth less than $950 off the store shelf?” Under Prop 47, shoplifting soared, and commercial burglary and robbery also increased dramatically.
From 2019 to 2022, Fresno, Los Angeles, and San Francisco saw commercial burglary ramp up by 38 percent, 29 percent, and 26 percent. Over the same period, commercial burglary rose 64 percent in Alameda County and 54 percent in Orange County.
In San Francisco, where Newsom once served as mayor, nearly 50 percent of Union Square stores have closed. In the state capital Sacramento, the city attorney threatens to charge Target stores with “nuisance calls” for reporting retail theft. Residents have a right to wonder why Newsom failed to take action sooner. It could have something to do with the November election, and a crucial episode in state history.
Back in 1978, California voters approved Proposition 13, the People’s Initiative to Limit Property Taxation. Gov. Jerry Brown denounced the measure but when it passed in a landslide acted as though he had written it. Brown proclaimed himself a “born-again tax cutter” but on his watch California became a high-tax state, from which people and businesses fled.
In the spirit of Proposition 13, California’s Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act gave voters the final say on future tax increases imposed by state and local governments. The measure gathered nearly one million signatures and qualified for the Nov. 5 ballot, but Newsom teamed with recurring governor Jerry Brown to have the measure taken off the ballot. The Democrat duo took power from the people, who still have a way to punch back.
Proposition 36, a measure to amend Proposition 47, has qualified for the November ballot, as Katy Grimes of the California Globe explains, despite “Gov. Gavin Newsom’s attempts to kill it.” Grimes believes state Democrats and the governor don’t want “the people” or Republicans to get credit for overturning a “dystopian hellscape ballot initiative.” Under current conditions, that is hardly a stretch, and as the election awaits, the people have plenty to ponder.
Those who approve of Proposition 47 seem to believe that enabling crime somehow promotes “social justice.” They might take a look at Is Social Justice Just?, which explores the concept in detail. “Property crime,” which Newsom claims his raft of bills will address, could also stand examination.
The tsunami of thefts, burglaries, and robberies launched by Proposition 47 affects the people who created the merchandise, the people who sell the merchandise, the people who buy the merchandise, and the entire community. If the people thought the time has come to junk the “property crime” designation altogether, it would be hard to blame them.
Lloyd Billingsley is a policy fellow at the Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif.
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Publish date : 2024-08-22 16:05:00
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