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Los Angeles Times comes out against popular anti-crime ballot initiative
The Los Angeles Times editorial board urged readers on Sunday to vote no against Proposition 36, a ballot initiative to increase penalties for petty crimes.
Proposition 36 is a reform of the 2014 Proposition 47 initiative that loosened penalties for several drug and theft crimes. Critics of “Prop 47” have frequently pointed to the initiative as the source of the crime wave in California cities.
However, the LA Times defended Prop 47 as “smart” in their opposition of Proposition 36.
Proposition 36 will increase penalties for crimes like retail theft. (Manhattan Beach Police Department)
“The problems the measure claims to address — retail theft, drug abuse and homelessness — are to some degree intertwined. But despite proponents’ claims, they are unrelated to Proposition 47, a smart 2014 criminal justice reform measure that brought California’s theft law in line with other states and made drug possession for personal use a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail,” the editorial board wrote.
CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT FRUSTRATED BY RISING THEFT ADMITS LIBERAL CRIME BILL WAS ‘BIG MISTAKE’
The publication instead blamed local police for failing to stop crime plaguing the state.
“Police could stop petty thieves now if they made misdemeanor arrests, as they can and sometimes should under current law. But they don’t, because they argue it’s not worth their time. They’re asking voters to change the laws to fit their accustomed practices, rather than update their practices to fit the laws they’re asked to enforce. Californians should expect police to follow the law, rather than the other way around,” they continued.
The editorial board further criticized Proposition 36 for targeting “people convicted simply for drug possession” by mandating a “treatment-mandated felony” for drug offenders, which it claims would only crowd prisons.
The Los Angeles Times claimed the initiative will further punish drug addicts and increase homelessness. (Getty)
“Proposition 47 has so far saved the state more than $800 million in prison spending, and that money is redirected to carefully monitored anti-recidivism programs, trauma recovery for crime victims and school programs. More felony convictions means lower savings and less spending on prevention and victim services,” the LA Times wrote.
The editorial concluded by admitting that the state has a “serious property crime problem” but said Proposition 36 isn’t the solution.
“California does have a serious property crime problem, including auto theft and burglaries, and it has recently begun to deal with it using the ample tools currently provided under state law. We do have a serious drug problem that requires a thoughtful response and enormous resources. Proposition 36 pretends the task can be accomplished on the cheap. It can’t. It’s more illusion than solution. Vote no,” they wrote.
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Although the editorial board criticized Proposition 36, a recent statewide poll found over 70% of likely voters supported reforms to Prop 47 and said they will be voting “yes” in November. This included 63% of Democrats and 85% of Republicans.
A majority of California voters are in favor of stricter penalties for drug and theft crimes. (Courtesy: Instagram / @ella_ise24.)
Prop 36 will allow felony charges for certain types of drug possession and thefts under $950, if the defendant has two such prior convictions, according to the California Department of State. It will also apply more serious penalties for fentanyl dealers.
Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
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The Denver Broncos’ 2026 schedule has arrived, with nine games on the road and eight games set for Empower Field at Mile High this season.
The Broncos are set to travel 19,129 miles this year, which ranks 15th in the NFL, according to Bill Speros of Bookies.com. Denver does not have an international game this year, which helped them rank near the middle of the pack in travel. Last season, the Broncos played in London and logged 23,267 travel miles, seventh-most in the league.
Elsewhere in the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers will travel 24,816 miles (seventh-most), the Las Vegas Raiders will trek 21,099 miles (13th-most) and the Kansas City Chiefs will log 18,401 miles (17th-most) in 2026.
The San Francisco 49ers (38,105) and Los Angeles Rams (34,847) are set to face off in Australia, giving them by far the most travel miles in the league. The Carolina Panthers (8,740) will have the easiest travel schedule this season.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
SEATTLE – After making one turn through a six-man rotation following the return of Bryce Miller, the Seattle Mariners are making a tweak for the next time through.
Seattle Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Cal Raleigh and more
Manager Dan Wilson said Friday the plan is for the club to piggyback Miller and fellow right-hander Luis Castillo during the next turn. The M’s have yet to decide which of the two will start.
“That’s the approach we’re going to take and we’re ready to roll,” Wilson said. “I think our guys are in a good spot in terms of getting an extra day here, and I think that’s gonna come up huge for some of these guys.”
Miller, who started the season on the injured list with a left oblique strain, made his season debut Wednesday night in Houston, tossing 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball on 81 pitches. Castillo pitched Thursday’s series finale against the Astros, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six over 5 2/3 innings.
The pair is lined up to pitch Tuesday’s home game against the Chicago White Sox. Miller will have had five days of rest, while Castillo will have had the typical four.
Wilson said both players have been accepting of the decision.
“I think they were definitely in a good spot with it and understand it,” Wilson said. “And I think these guys, as we’ve talked about, these guys in this clubhouse, all of them want to do what’s best for the team. And these guys have really taken to that and they’re ready to go.”
Wilson acknowledged that a piggyback situation could get complicated by game flow and situations, but pointed to the potential benefit it could have in giving the bullpen a night off. Either way, it’s a situation that will be evolving for the club as they go.
“This is something that we haven’t done before, so it’s going to be a lot of waiting and seeing and understanding and assessing and making our adjustments as we go,” he said. “But in theory, you can lay it out, and you just don’t know how it’s actually going to play out. So we have to be open to different ways to proceeding, but we’ll take a look at it when we get there.”
The Mariners’ decision to go to a six-man rotation then a piggyback situation with Castillo and Miller come after widespread speculation about what the club’s plans would be when Miller returned from the IL.
When the season started, the assumption was right-hander Emerson Hancock would once again find himself as the odd man out when Miller returned. However, Hancock, a first-round pick at No. 6 overall in the 2020 draft, has earned himself a spot in the rotation during a breakout start to his season. In nine starts this year, he has a 3-2 record, 3.02 ERA and 56 strikeouts to 10 walks over 53 2/3 innings.
Castillo’s spot in the rotation started to come into question after the veteran started to struggle following a strong first start of the season. In seven starts from April 5-May 9, Castillo posted a 7.79 ERA over 32 1/3 innings and batters hit .329 against him. But his most recent start against Houston marked a step forward for the three-time All-Star and highest-paid pitcher on the Mariners’ roster.
Seattle Mariners coverage
• Seattle Mariners trade DFA’d reliever to AL West rival
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• Why Jeff Passan likes Seattle Mariners’ plan with six-man rotation
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