Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Bid To Toughen California Crime Laws Set For 2020 Ballot
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 7 years ago on
July 9, 2018

Share

SACRAMENTO — A bid to toughen criminal penalties has qualified for California’s 2020 ballot, after delays pushed it past the deadline for voters to consider it this November.
It would roll back criminal justice reforms implemented through voter-backed Proposition 47 in 2014 and Proposition 57 in 2016.
The California Secretary of State’s Office said Monday it collected more than the roughly 366,000 signatures it needed. Law enforcement and victims’ rights groups are backing the initiative.
It would add 15 crimes to the state’s list of violent offenses that are not eligible for earlier parole and allow felony charges for some theft crimes that currently can be charged only as misdemeanors.
It also would reinstate DNA collections for certain crimes that were reduced from felonies to misdemeanors.
Gov. Jerry Brown quickly used Twitter to voice his opposition to the initiative.


Crime statistics released Monday by the state Department of Justice show the property crime rate in California decreased by 2.1 percent between 2016 and 2017 while the violent crime rate per 100,000 people went up by 1.5 percent.
Backers of the earlier reform efforts say those statistics show the policies are working and keeping crime rates low.
“It’s time to go forward, not backward. Taxpayers don’t want to return our state to spending more money on bloated prisons, while local public safety resources suffer,” said Lenore Anderson, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice.
Proponents of rolling back those changes feel differently.
“We are confident the measures will pass when the voters get to weigh in on it and it will have the effect of correcting a couple of mistakes from the previous criminal justice reforms,” said Jeff Flint, a spokesman for the campaign backing the rollback measure.
Click on the video above to watch a panel discussion on the impacts of Proposition 47 hosted by the Public Policy Institute of California.
The panelists are Jerry Dyer, Fresno chief of police; George Gascón, district attorney, city and county of San Francisco; and Katie Howard, executive director, Board of State and Community Corrections. The moderator is Magnus Lofstrom, a PPIC senior fellow.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Anti-Trump Protesters Turn Out to Rallies Across Country

DON'T MISS

Universal Studios Fan Fest 2025 to Feature Immersive D&D Attraction and More

DON'T MISS

Thousands Gather in London for Trans Rights Following UK Ruling Over Definition of Woman

DON'T MISS

250 Years After America Went to War for Independence, a Divided Nation Battles Over Its Legacy

DON'T MISS

Greg Cronin Fired as Coach of Anaheim Ducks After 2 Seasons

DON'T MISS

Spring Allergies Are Back. Here’s How to Check Pollen Levels and Keep From Sneezing

DON'T MISS

US Small Manufacturers Hope to Benefit From Tariffs, but Some Worry About Uncertainty

DON'T MISS

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill More Than 90 People in 48 Hours, Palestinians Say

DON'T MISS

US and Iran Advance Nuclear Talks to Expert Level After Rome Meeting

DON'T MISS

Putin Announces an Easter Ceasefire as Russia and Ukraine Swap Hundreds of POWs

UP NEXT

250 Years After America Went to War for Independence, a Divided Nation Battles Over Its Legacy

UP NEXT

Greg Cronin Fired as Coach of Anaheim Ducks After 2 Seasons

UP NEXT

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill More Than 90 People in 48 Hours, Palestinians Say

UP NEXT

US and Iran Advance Nuclear Talks to Expert Level After Rome Meeting

UP NEXT

Putin Announces an Easter Ceasefire as Russia and Ukraine Swap Hundreds of POWs

UP NEXT

NBA Playoff Guide: Who Plays When, How to Watch, What the Odds Are

UP NEXT

Senator Slams ‘Margaritagate’ Stunt During Deportee Visit

UP NEXT

LA Rams Can Bolster a Contending Roster With Another Strong Showing in NFL Draft

UP NEXT

Fresno ‘Powers Up’ the Nation’s Largest Combined Solar and Battery Storage Project

UP NEXT

Trump Admin Asserts COVID-19 Originated in Chinese Lab, Targets Fauci

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

250 Years After America Went to War for Independence, a Divided Nation Battles Over Its Legacy

3 hours ago

Greg Cronin Fired as Coach of Anaheim Ducks After 2 Seasons

4 hours ago

Spring Allergies Are Back. Here’s How to Check Pollen Levels and Keep From Sneezing

4 hours ago

US Small Manufacturers Hope to Benefit From Tariffs, but Some Worry About Uncertainty

4 hours ago

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill More Than 90 People in 48 Hours, Palestinians Say

4 hours ago

US and Iran Advance Nuclear Talks to Expert Level After Rome Meeting

4 hours ago

Putin Announces an Easter Ceasefire as Russia and Ukraine Swap Hundreds of POWs

4 hours ago

NBA Playoff Guide: Who Plays When, How to Watch, What the Odds Are

4 hours ago

Americans Haven’t Found a Satisfying Alternative to Religion

4 hours ago

Supreme Court Blocks, for Now, New Deportations Under 18th Century Wartime Law

4 hours ago

Anti-Trump Protesters Turn Out to Rallies Across Country

NEW YORK — Opponents of President Donald Trump’s administration took to the streets of communities large and small across the U.S. on ...

7 minutes ago

7 minutes ago

Anti-Trump Protesters Turn Out to Rallies Across Country

2 hours ago

Universal Studios Fan Fest 2025 to Feature Immersive D&D Attraction and More

3 hours ago

Thousands Gather in London for Trans Rights Following UK Ruling Over Definition of Woman

3 hours ago

250 Years After America Went to War for Independence, a Divided Nation Battles Over Its Legacy

4 hours ago

Greg Cronin Fired as Coach of Anaheim Ducks After 2 Seasons

4 hours ago

Spring Allergies Are Back. Here’s How to Check Pollen Levels and Keep From Sneezing

4 hours ago

US Small Manufacturers Hope to Benefit From Tariffs, but Some Worry About Uncertainty

4 hours ago

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill More Than 90 People in 48 Hours, Palestinians Say

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend