California

Column: California voters are fed up with crime and, apparently, inaction by Democrats

Published

3 months ago

September 19, 2024

Column: California voters are fed up with crime and, apparently, inaction by Democrats

SACRAMENTO —

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders vehemently oppose an anti-retail theft measure on the November ballot. But they’re being ignored by California voters who support the proposal overwhelmingly.

Maybe voters don’t know about the governor’s and lawmakers’ strong opposition. Or maybe they do and don’t care. They’re following their own instincts and thinking that California — again — is too easy on bad guys.

The pendulum apparently is swinging back from left to center on crime and incarceration. Three decades ago California was over on the right with the war on drugs and tough three-strikes sentencing for repeat felons. Then we gradually moved left by dramatically reducing punishment. Opinions continue to sway.

The support numbers are stunning for Proposition 36, sponsored by the California District Attorneys Assn. It would increase punishment for theft and hard drug offenses and impose required treatment for repetitive criminal addicts.

The initiative is ahead by an astonishing 45 percentage points, according to a new poll of likely voters by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California: 71% to 26%, with only 3% undecided.

That’s unprecedented for a controversial ballot measure.

Well, controversial among politicians anyway. But seemingly not among voters.

“I was surprised by the level of support,” says Mark Baldassare, a pollster with the Public Policy Institute of California.

But he adds this caution: “Propositions aren’t like candidate races. The bottom can fall out of them. And the campaign for and against 36 really hasn’t started yet. It’s easy for people to say ‘no’ on a proposition rather than ‘yes.’ Especially if someone comes along and points out a fatal flaw.”

Sure. But don’t bet on it. Opponents have a very steep hill to climb to conquer Proposition 36.

It’s ahead among every demographic group, including Democrats by a landslide margin: 63% to 33%. Self-described liberals support it by 56% to 41%.

Baldassare notes that of the 10 state ballot measures, voters consider Proposition 36 the most important by far, his poll found.

Another independent survey last month by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies also showed the measure holding a huge lead: 56% to 23%, with 21% undecided.

IGS pollster Mark DiCamillo cited the “great visibility” of retail theft — caught on camera or witnessed personally by voters — as a reason for heavy support of Proposition 36.

“It’s kind of outrageous to voters, what they’re seeing,” DiCamillo told Times reporter Mackenzie Mays. “And they’re linking it to the approval of Proposition 47.”

That proposition swung California to the left on crime punishment 10 years ago. Federal court pressure had mounted to reduce prison and jail overcrowding. The measure passed lopsidedly, reducing some felony crimes to low-punishment misdemeanors–including shoplifting when the stolen goods were worth less than $950.

Misdemeanor arrests are harder to make because a cop must witness a crime or possess a judge’s warrant. Anyway, judges began freeing petty thieves. So, cops stopped responding to shoplifting complaints. Merchants ceased bothering to report the crimes. And smash-and-grab thefts increased.

PPIC researchers recently reported on a yearlong study of Proposition 47’s impact.

“Under Prop 47, prison and jail populations plummeted as did arrests for drug and property crimes after certain offenses were reclassified from felonies to misdemeanors,” the report stated.

But it said the pandemic also contributed to fewer apprehensions. As people stayed home to prevent the spread of COVID, there were “fewer encounters with police, resulting in fewer arrests,” the researchers contended.

At any rate, public pressure increased on Sacramento Democrats to do something — and they didn’t for several years. They probably thought the growing anti-47 pushback would just fade. It didn’t.

Newsom was one of Proposition 47’s most vocal original advocates and has been a staunch defender.

“We don’t need to go back to the broken policies of the last century,” he insisted. “Mass incarceration has been proven ineffective and is not the answer.”

Newsom’s initial answer included trying to strongarm Proposition 36 off the ballot. It failed awkwardly, leaving legislative leaders perturbed at the governor.

Proposition 36 would roll back parts of Proposition 47. The governor backed a legislative package aimed at curtailing retail theft without significantly altering Proposition 47. But he concocted a nutty “poison pill” that would have automatically killed the Democrats’ own anti-crime legislation if Proposition 36 was approved by voters.

The aim was to coerce Proposition 36’s sponsors into tossing in the towel and accepting the Legislature’s offering. But Democrats rebelled at the governor’s bizarre scheme and refused to insert the deadly pill into their package.

The Legislature ultimately passed 13 bills that Newsom and Democratic lawmakers hope will satisfy voters’ demands that California do more to combat smash-and-grabs and shoplifting.

“The bills they passed do some good things, but by and large they’re half measures,” asserts Gregory Totten, chief executive of the California District Attorneys Assn. “Our law [36] says consequences of stealing have to be ratcheted up.”

The initiative also would impose tougher penalties for sales of deadly fentanyl and treat it similar to other hard drugs, such as heroin and cocaine. Some people possessing hard drugs could be sentenced merely to treatment.

Outside Sacramento, some major Democrats have heard the voters, read the polls and are supporting Proposition 36. They include Mayors London Breed of San Francisco, Todd Gloria of San Diego and Matt Mahan of San Jose.

But Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a former state Senate leader who has spent his career trying to generate treatment for the drug-addicted homeless and mentally ill, opposes Proposition 36.

He contends that 36 offers a “false promise” of treatment. It’ll fall short because the emphasis will be on law enforcement, not treatment of addicts, Steinberg predicts.

But so far, Newsom and Sacramento Democrats haven’t been leading anyone away from Proposition 36. Voters are headed in the opposite direction.

Source link

California

New California law extends time for renters to respond to evictions

Published

1 hour ago

December 29, 2024

Press Room

New California law extends time for renters to respond to evictions

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Starting Jan. 1, 2025, a new California law will double the response time for tenants facing eviction, offering them more opportunity to seek legal advice and adequately prepare their cases. The law extends the response period from five business days to 10 business days.

Genea Nicole Wall, a tenant from City Heights, experienced the turmoil of eviction earlier this year after failing to pay her rent on time.

“You’re trying to pack up and trying to respond. You’re just all over the place. You’re emotionally all over the place,” Wall says.

Unlike most other court summons that allow for a 30-day response period, eviction notices in California have traditionally given tenants only five business days to act. Wall described her struggle to navigate the court system under these constraints.

“Going to court trying to get assistance… It was just a grueling task. Daunting trying to get stuff done,” she says.

The new state law is designed to provide tenants with more time to stabilize their situation and seek proper legal support.

“What do those extra five days mean for someone who was just served an eviction notice? It’s giving people more time to get your bearings, figure out what you’re going to do before it’s too late and you lose automatically and get fast-tracked to being homeless and kicked out of your home,” says Gilberto Vera, an attorney with the nonprofit Legal Aid Society.

According to Vera, 40% of tenants facing eviction in San Diego last year did not respond to their court summons, effectively forfeiting their cases.

“If they don’t respond and tell the court that the eviction was wrongful and invalid – they’ll lose automatically,” Vera says.

Vera hopes this law will help tenants better understand their rights and prevent wrongful evictions by providing the necessary time to form a defense.

“I would be able to think — you could plan to take the time off to do what you need to do to get the assistance,” Wall says.

Wall, now living in Brea after being evicted from her City Heights apartment, believes she could have won her court case had this law been in effect.

Source link

California

Federal homelessness data says California homeless population grew to 187,084 – Washington Examiner

Published

9 hours ago

December 28, 2024

Press Room

Federal homelessness data says California homeless population grew to 187,084 – Washington Examiner

(The Center Square) – Newly released federal data says California’s homeless population grew to 187,084 at the start of 2024, up from 181,399 in 2023, raising questions about the efficacy of the state’s tens of billions of dollars in recent homeless spending.

Most of the state’s increase in homelessness can be attributed to growth in the state’s unsheltered homeless population, which is nearly half of the nation’s total. However, the state’s homeless population did grow much less than the national average, suggesting some of the state’s programs — albeit costly — may finally be making an impact.

In September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office brushed off a CalMatters estimate that the state’s homeless population grew to nearly 186,000, telling The Center Square the organization’s reporting was based on incomplete data that analyzed only 32 of the state’s 58 counties.

“California and other officials use official confirmed data published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and not CalMatters’ estimates, which are unverified,” said a Newsom spokesperson to The Center Square in September, when CalMatters released its report.

Now, the verified count from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recommended by Newsom’s office shows that homelessness is even higher than CalMatters estimated. This 5,685 individual increase in the state’s homeless population could suggest the state’s homelessness efforts — and tens of billions of dollars in recent state funding — have been unable to stop the growth of the state’s homeless population.

Earlier this year a state auditor looked into $24 billion of state homelessness spending, finding “the State lacks current information on the ongoing costs and outcomes of its homelessness programs” because it has “not consistently tracked and evaluated the State’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness.”

Newsom vetoed two widely-supported bipartisan bills to better track and evaluate homelessness spending and outcomes, saying his own directives to increase accountability make the measures redundant.

The state is now home to 123,974 unsheltered homeless individuals — up from 117,424 the year prior — or nearly half of the nation’s total. In 2019 — before the COVID-19 era — California had 151,278 homeless individuals, 108,432 of whom were unsheltered.

Source link

California

Your favorite movies starring California

Published

17 hours ago

December 28, 2024

Press Room

Your favorite movies starring California

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:

The best movies that capture the essence of California

The Essential California team this year expanded opportunities for readers to directly engage with the newsletter. Each week we ask readers to answer a question — from the best local restaurants to favorite books.

One question in particular got a lot of attention and sparked some debate: What is your favorite movie that captures the essence of California?

Below are the most mentioned movies and comments from readers about what makes these films special to California. We hope this list will help find something to watch this weekend. Enjoy!

“Chinatown”

Adelaide writes: “It doesn’t get more iconic than a film noir that tackles tremendous geopolitical issues that still affect us to this day.”

And Jim writes: “How can you talk about movies that capture the essence of California and not mention one of the greatest movies of all time, ‘Chinatown’? Today, despite the state’s beauty and glorious climate (most of the time), it is still as corrupt and morally bankrupt as it was back in the days of stealing water from the Owens Valley.”

Paul Giamatti, left, and Thomas Haden Church in the 2004 movie “Sideways,” directed by Alexander Payne.

(Searchlight Pictures)

“Sideways”

Raymond Ballesteros writes: “One of my all time favorite movies to see that truly captures the essence of California, hands down, is ‘Sideways.’

“Alexander Payne seizes the beauty and majesty of California’s Santa Barbara wine country, including a handful of wineries that encapsulates the hearts of fellow wine lovers across California and the country. Of course, not to be watched with a glass of Merlot!”

One man stands looking at another man who's holding a surfboard in front of him

“Point Break”

Fritzi Lareau write: “I am a tour guide and when touring the Golden State I show my guests ‘Point Break’ (the original with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze) or ‘Hollywood Homicide’ starring Harrison Ford.”

A black-and-white film still of a man with glasses looking skeptical

“Stand and Deliver”

Robert Reul writes: “One great film that is 100% California is ‘Stand and Deliver,’ with Edward James Olmos and an amazing cast of young actors. I have found few, if any, films that capture the absolute magic that can happen in the community of first-generation Americans, descended from hard-working Mexican immigrants.”

Jeff Bridges takes a fighting stance in "The Big Lebowski."

Honorable mentions

“Top Gun”

“The Birds”

“The Parent Trap”

“The Big Lebowski”

“Fast Times at Ridgemont High”

“La La Land”

Want to wade into the debate over which movie captures the essence of California? Feel free to email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

The week’s biggest stories

President-elect Donald Trump stands at a podium, American flags behind him, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2023.

Florida is winning the political battle with California as Trump takes office

Trump is stocking his cabinet with Floridians. And his plans to reverse California’s policies on the environment, crime, homelessness and education are facing far less pushback than they did during his first term.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to continue the fight against Trump’s policies but without what he called “a resistance brand” that defined his earlier clashes.
Meanwhile, healthcare is Newsom’s biggest unfinished project. Trump complicates the governor’s task.

Destructive waves keep thrashing Santa Cruz, causing millions of dollars in damage in recent years

Scientists say we are fighting H5N1 bird flu with one hand tied behind our backs

Scientists and health officials fear we’re on the precipice of another global pandemic as the H5N1 bird flu virus steamrolls its way across the globe. But when that could come to pass is hard to predict.
Just one mutation can make the bird flu a threat to humans, California researchers found.
L.A. County health officials are warning pet owners to avoid raw cat food after a feline died of bird flu.

California is growing again

The Golden State’s population grew by almost a quarter of a million residents in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a rebound that brings California almost back to its pre-pandemic numbers.
While California’s population gain of 232,570 people from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, represents the largest numeric population increase in the nation’s West, it lagged behind Texas, which expanded its population by 562,941, and Florida, which grew by 467,347 people.

More big stories

Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.

This week’s must reads

Illustration of a police search party in a snowy wooded area. Splatters of blood are seen in the snow.

A California inmate recruited “wives” to spread fentanyl across Alaska, federal authorities say.

The prisoner, Heraclio Sanchez Rodriguez, oversaw a sprawling drug ring that spread death and addiction to the most remote corners of Alaska, prosecutors say.

More great reads

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your weekend

a man in a green tracksuit with his hands behind his head

Going out

Staying in

How well did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz.

A collection of photos from this week's news quiz.

Which creature gets top billing in the title of the Barry Jenkins–directed “Lion King” prequel that hit theaters last week? Plus nine other questions from our weekly news quiz.

Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team

Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor

Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.

Source link