A group of local leaders and entrepreneurs present a ballot initiative to reform a decade-old law.
This group says it has collected enough signatures for a ballot measure to solve this problem by imposing harsher penalties for a range of property crimes.
“I’ve been a business owner in this community for 30 years, and I’ve had it,” said Tricia La Belle, president of the Greater LA Hospitality Association. “In November, we expect voters will support this measure as we have support from across the aisle.”
At the heart of their frustration is Prop 47.
“We need to hold repeat offenders accountable,” said business owner Greg Morena. “We must amend Prop 47 so that habitual drug addicts to fentanyl and meth are forced into drug treatment programs and incentivized to complete those programs.”
The group fighting to pass these new reforms said their measure will reform Prop 47, which passed in 2014. It softened penalties for drug and shoplifting.
“As Mayor of the City of Santa Monica, I have seen firsthand the heartbreak of the consequences of shoplifting and the impact on community safety,” said Mayor Phil Brock.
Year-over-year crime statistics in Los Angeles County are mixed. Violent crimes have decreased due to robberies and property crimes have increased. However, there is debate over whether Prop 47 actually fuels scenes like smash-and-grabs and other property crimes.
“My view is that these are different interpretations of public safety,” said Matt Lesenyie, an assistant professor at CSU Long Beach. “The most important thing to me is that property or organized retail theft is not really public safety.”
Lesenyie said the gruesome videos of the flash mob robberies scare many people, but they do not tell the whole story.
“Making a thoughtful policy choice often requires some nuance and complexity,” he said. “We are now in a moment where this group that is collecting signatures, is using that opportunity, that moment, our fear, to say we need to get tougher on crime.”
The group has collected about 900,000 signatures, well above the required 500,000. California’s secretary of state will review and verify signatures to see if the measure qualifies for the November election.
Tom Wait
