West
California Democrats 'playing dirty tricks' to keep Prop 47 reform off ballot, GOP leader says
California Democrats are playing “dirty tricks” in response to bipartisan efforts to place a measure to reform Proposition 47 on the November ballot in favor of other public safety bills, officials said.
Prop 47, a voter-approved initiative passed in 2014, loosened the penalties for drug and theft crimes in California and has been blamed for California’s rampant theft problems. Californians for Safer Communities, a bipartisan group made up of law enforcement, elected officials and businesses, said it has collected more than 900,000 signatures in support of the proposed amendment to reform Prop 47 in order to increase penalties for criminals.
However, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and some elected Democrats don’t support the effort and are pushing some public safety bills circulating through the state Capitol that attempt to address organized retail theft, car break-ins and other crimes. They prefer those bills go before voters instead of the Prop 47 reform measure.
Some Democrats plan to introduce inoperability clauses into the set of proposed public safety bills to prevent them from going into effect if voters approve the Prop 47 reforms. They contend that it’s a way to ensure there aren’t any inconsistencies in the law.
NEWSOM PROPOSES DEFUNDING LAW ENFORCEMENT, PRISONS, PUBLIC SAFETY AS CALIFORNIA FACES MASSIVE DEFICIT
A large group of 30-50 people were caught on video ransacking a Nordstrom in Los Angeles at Topanga Mall in Los Angeles. (Courtesy: Instagram / @ella_ise24.)
“The Democrats are playing dirty tricks to try and stop it,” California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher told Fox News Digital. “They think that Prop 47 is good policy. I think the majority of Californians disagree with them and want to change it.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the California Democratic Party and Californians for Safer Communities.
Prop 47 made several crimes, including shoplifting, grand theft and receiving stolen property, a misdemeanor instead of a felony if the value of the property did not exceed $950. It also lowered the penalty for the personal use of most illegal drugs below a certain weight.
Many law enforcement officials have blamed the measure for the uptick in theft and smash-and-grabs that have plagued California in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Around the same time, California became synonymous with smash-and-grab crimes as videos of groups of thieves brazenly ransacking stores gained traction online.
Recently, Newsom has come out tougher on public safety as many Californians are voicing concerns about crime in their communities.
SACRAMENTO MASS SHOOTING SUSPECT FOUND DEAD IN JAIL CELL WHILE AWAITING TRIAL
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was recently ripped by critics for describing California as a “national model” for combatting homelessness. (California Governor Gavin Newsom YouTube channel)
“There’s a lot of moving parts, a lot of negotiations concurrently happening,” Newsom told reporters on Friday. “Prop 47 is included.”
Those bills being pushed by Democrats, however, don’t address personal theft, as opposed to smash-and-grabs, the trafficking of fentanyl and drug treatment incentives, said Gallagher.
“Those are three things that the initiative does that we need, that this (Democratic) retail package doesn’t do,” said Gallahgher.
California has some of the toughest thresholds for prosecutors to charge suspects with a felony for theft up to $950, in contrast to other states that have higher thresholds, Newsom’s office said Monday.
Last year, the Democratic governor announced more than $267 million to increase arrests and prosecutions for organized retail crime across the state. Earlier this year, Newsom recalled how he witnessed a shoplifter stealing from Target in Sacramento. He confronted a store employee moments later.
“I said, ‘why didn’t you stop him,’” Newsom said during a Zoom meeting on mental health in January. “She goes, ‘oh, the governor.’ Swear to God, true story on my mom’s grave. ‘The governor lowered the threshold, there’s no accountability.’ I said that’s just not true.”
“That’s exactly the kind of situation that happens every day that his package does nothing about,” Gallagher said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks on Dec. 17, 2021, at a news conference in Dublin, Calif., about headline-grabbing smash-and-grab robberies at high-end stores. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group via AP)
Regarding the possible inoperability clauses, Republicans have called it a “poison pill.”
“To combat the California crime wave, we need to strengthen our laws, both in the Legislature and at the ballot box,” Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones previously said in a statement. “It’s irresponsible to force voters into a false choice between the two. Unfortunately, some Democrat politicians are too prideful to admit their mistake with Prop 47 and they continue to deny the desperate need for reform.”
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NORTHWEST BOISE, Idaho — The Boise River is considered the heart of the city for many folks — floating, fishing and the gorgeous scenery on the greenbelt all rely on the waterway.
That’s why the City of Boise closely monitors the river’s water quality and the treated wastewater returned to the river from its water renewal facilities.
“The biggest question we get from people who are pedestrians and bicyclists is what are you trying to catch?,” said Bryan Dufosse, Senior Environmental Specialist with the City of Boise.
He and his team are often seen on the bridges over the Boise River with a unique crane looking contraption that they use to collect a series of water samples across the river.
WATCH | See how the city’s enviromental team tests the water quality of the Boise River
How the City of Boise tests water samples to ensure the Boise River runs clean
The city collects samples from locations upstream and downstream from Boise’s water renewal plants to ensure their treatment systems are working properly.
“We’re from the beginning of the pipe to the end of the pipe, making sure that we’re not putting anything into the river that takes away from the river’s water quality,” Dufosse said.
He says the majority of the time their samples come back nice and clean.
“We don’t see heavy pollutants fortunately here. Normally the Boise river is pretty clean, it’s pretty clean because the city citizens and the City Of Boise care about the River,” Dufosse said.
The city still conducts extensive testing to monitor for pollutants and other contaminants like heavy metals or nutrients. Samples collected from the river are brought to a portable water testing lab they built inside a camper before they’re taken to the city’s full size lab.
“Now we are splitting the samples so we can take them back to the water quality lab and then Alex and the rest of the team will test them for heavy metals and pH and all that kind of stuff,” said Corrine Smith, Water Quality Environmental Technician with the City of Boise.
If unusually high levels of metals or pollutants are detected, the city reports the findings to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and works to identify the source.
The city’s water quality team tests the Boise River 52 weeks a year to ensure the water remains clean and healthy.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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