California voters considered 10 ballot measures during the Nov. 5 election. From public safety to education, health care, minimum wage, and more, voters have made their choice on which propositions should become law.
Felony Charges for Drug and Theft Crimes
Deemed the most important ballot measure by respondents to a poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California, Proposition 36—which strengthens penalties for repeat offenders of certain drug and theft crimes—may soon become the law of the state after more than 70 percent of voters approved the measure, according to unofficial preliminary results released late on Nov. 5.
Known as the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act, Prop. 36 also prioritizes mental health and drug abuse treatment by allowing some repeat offenders to choose rehabilitation programs in lieu of jail or prison sentences.
Supporters said the measure is needed to address the impacts of Proposition 47—passed by voters in 2014 to lower prison populations by reducing some drug and theft crimes from felonies to misdemeanors—which they believe contributed to higher levels of certain criminal activity in the past decade.
The state’s violent crime rate bottomed in 2014—hitting a 50-year-low of 391 incidents per 100,000 residents—and has risen to 503 in the same size population, as of 2023, according to an October fact sheet from the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan research organization. […]
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