Members of the Californians for Safer Communities Coalition announced on April 18 that it will submit over 900,000 voter signatures to qualify the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act (Initiative 23-0017A1) to qualify for the November General Election ballot. To qualify the measure for the November 2024 ballot, the law requires 546,651valid signatures.
The bipartisan measure is focused on improving safety in every community and neighborhood in California. It focuses narrowly on accountability measures for repeat offenders of theft and drug traffickers of serious drugs like fentanyl, while incentivizing and encouraging more individuals to participate in and complete drug treatment programs. The measure creates a deterrent for repeat offenders and redirects addicts towards treatment rather than incarceration.
“It’s time we fix this broken record, and fix Prop 47,” said San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas. “For too long, the people of San Joaquin County, from homeowners, to consumers, to small business owners, to store employees, have been suffering the effects of the well-intentioned, but disastrous Prop 47. I’m proud to say we played our small part in qualifying this important fix, supporting the effort early on, and hosting a signing event in March that gathered hundreds of signatures from a three-county region. It’s time for all of California to come together at the ballot box and make our California safer for everyone.”
Passed in 2014, Prop 47 achieved notable success in making California’s criminal justice system more equitable. However, it led to unintended consequences over the past decade — repeat and often organized retail theft, inner-city store closings, and difficulty convincing people to seek drug and mental health treatment — that coalition members said can only be corrected by the voters at the ballot box with commonsense changes to Prop 47.
The proposed ballot measure will:
Hold those who are committing repeated retail theft and fentanyl sales crimes accountable, for the safety and health of our communities.
Create accountability for repeat smash and grab offenders who are driving up costs for all Californians and chasing retailers out of the state.
Bring back incentives and accountability that are needed for individuals to get into necessary drug treatment and job training programs – helping them begin new lives. Currently those arrested multiple times for hard drug use currently have no incentive to choose treatment with no consequences.
For more information, go to www.CASafeCommunities.com.
