California’s Crime Reform Initiative Targeting Fentanyl, Retail Theft, and Homelessness Crises

A proposed reform measure aimed at addressing California’s crime referendum, Proposition 47, will appear on the November ballot after collecting over 900,000 signatures required for an official vote. The initiative aims to reverse some of the law’s consequences which have led to a “fentanyl crisis,” a “retail theft crisis” and a “homelessness crisis.” Prop 47 reclassified certain felonies such as petty theft under $950, including multiple offenses, from being classified as felonies. The initiative would classify repeated thefts with two or more prior convictions as a felony, impose tougher charges where individuals’ damages through theft have exceeded the value of $50,000 and allow judges to levy harsher penalties for organized retail theft offenses involving multiple offenders. It also adds fentanyl alongside heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine as a hard drug that is subject to stricter consequences when possessed with firearms or sold in deadly quantities. The initiative would enable greater charges against dealers whose trafficking causes death or serious injury while warning them of potential murder charges if continued drug trafficking results in fatalities. California business owners have also signed the petition, including Konja’s Family Market store owner Sreten “Steve” Konjaić. Opposite figures include Democrat progressives from cities with high crime rates who previously supported Prop 47 but are now backing reform measures due to unintended consequences of reduced penalties for certain offenses.