(5MinNewsBreak.com) – Signaling a major shift in the state’s approach to crime and punishment, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36.
Proposition 36 is a tough-on-crime measure that will crack down on repeat offenders and drug dealers.
Despite opposition from liberal Governor Gavin Newsom, over 70% of voters supported stricter penalties for serial thieves and fentanyl traffickers.
The landslide victory for Proposition 36 reflects growing frustration with California’s soft-on-crime policies that caused rampant theft, drug abuse and homelessness.
Nearly 7.5 million ballots were cast in favor of toughening criminal penalties, sending a clear message that Californians are fed up with the state’s soft treatment of repeat offenders.
Proposition 36 rolls back key parts of the disastrous Proposition 47, which had reclassified many thefts and drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors.
Under the new law, prosecutors can now charge serial thieves with felonies if they have two or more previous convictions, regardless of the value stolen.
This closes the $950 loophole that criminals had exploited to repeatedly shoplift with minimal consequences.
The measure also imposes harsher punishments for fentanyl dealers, including mandatory prison time and potential murder charges for overdose deaths.
This crackdown on deadly opioids comes as fentanyl has devastated communities across California.
Supporters argue the measure will finally give law enforcement the tools needed to tackle cycles of addiction, crime and homelessness.
Exemplifying the crisis, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan noted that some individuals were arrested over 25 times in just two years under the previous lax laws.
While Proposition 36 emphasizes accountability, it also includes a “treatment-mandated felony” option that allows judges to mandate drug treatment instead of prison for certain offenders.
This approach seeks to address underlying issues while still imposing consequences.
The overwhelming support for Proposition 36 represents a clear rebuke of Newsom and other liberal politicians who have championed soft-on-crime policies.
Newsom’s influence seems to be waning, with only about half of voters now approving his job performance.
As California deals with the highest retail crime rates in two decades, voters have decisively chosen the right option.
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