With Crime Spiking, DeMaio Opposes New Proposals to Coddle Criminals

With recent data showing crime of all varieties is rising across the state, you would think that state politicians would be rushing to hold hearings on the root causes of the crime wave and introduce bills to improve law enforcement’s ability to catch and punish criminals. Unfortunately, the opposite is happening.

Carl DeMaio, chairman of Reform California, says California Democrats in the State Legislature have voted against common-sense proposals to combat crime and even have introduced several new bills that decriminalize or incentivize crime.

“It’s truly backwards, twilight zone thinking — crime rates are increasing, and their solution is to make it harder for law enforcement to do its job and encourage more crime?” asked DeMaio. “We have to take action to enforce the law again and restore public safety,” he continued.

In recent years, state Democrats have backed bills to allow for “safe injection” sites statewide to allow for rampant drug use, eliminate the need for bail for release of individuals charged with crimes, and have even eliminated the registry requirement for sex offenders who molest children as young as 14 years of age.  

In recent months, State Senator Scott Wiener has introduced Senate Bills 1106, 1228, and 357. The bills aim to make it easier to clear criminal records, prevent the use of DNA databases to investigate crimes, and decriminalize “loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution.”

In regards to the bill preventing the use of DNA databases to investigate crimes, if investigators find a match for a different crime than the one that they’re pursuing, they will be barred from looking into it. “It doesn’t matter … if it’s a serial killer,” said San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott.

This month, Republican leaders in the California State Legislature listened to Californians and introduced three measures to repeal or amend Prop 47 and “make crime illegal again."

Prop 47, passed in 2014, tied the hands of law enforcement by recategorizing several drug and property theft offenses as misdemeanors rather than felonies. For theft, it raised the felony threshold to $950. This has led to an uptick in what opponents label “Smash and Grabs” — or increased property destruction and theft for items costing less than $950.

“What Prop 47 really did is encourage crime and force officers to stand and watch, effectively cutting back on law enforcement,” explained DeMaio. “Now, we’re seeing the effects and voters feel fooled, angry, and scared,” said DeMaio.

The bills proposed this week by Republicans offered a variety of ways to reform Prop 47: one enacted a full repeal, one would lower the threshold for a shoplifting felony from $950 to $400, and one would increase penalties for repeat offenders. All were defeated by the Democrats.

DeMaio says only voters can fix the problem of California’s crime wave. A recent Berkeley/IGS poll has found that 78% of Californians believe crime is rising, with 65% witnessing an increase in their area. 59% of voters back the movement to repeal the state’s controversial Prop 47.

That’s why DeMaio and Reform California are supporting the petition to repeal Prop 47. They are also working to support a number of other public safety initiatives, all of which will allow law enforcement to enforce existing property and quality-of-life crimes in the state.

“The repeal will go a long way to restoring public safety in California and bringing back some common sense to our government,” said DeMaio. “Crime should be illegal and law enforcement should be able to do their jobs,” he concluded.

DeMaio is asking for all Californians to join the campaign today to repeal Prop 47.

Join the Campaign: Repeal Prop 47 and Restore Public Safety‍