What a vote Proposition 36 will mean for California voters

EUREKA, California – California voters will decide on Proposition 36 in the November election, which will be placed on the ballot through petition signatures.

“Prop 36 changes the law regarding theft, retail theft, theft in general, and drug possession, encouraging people to contact law enforcement to report these crimes, and there will be accountability for those who commit multiple crimes. “Thefts, multiple drug possession convictions,” said Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal.

A “Yes on Prop 36” rally was held in Eureka earlier this week. It would expose the decades-old Proposition 47, which downgraded some drug and theft crimes from felonies to misdemeanors.

“Since the passage of Prop 47, we have seen our society deteriorate. We can all look around and see that things have gotten worse rather than better in California over the last 10 years because of the law change. We see that there is an increase.” “We see that property crimes, drug crimes, homelessness and recidivism are at an all-time high here in California.”

The ballot measure has divided state lawmakers, and community leaders are now taking positions during a high-stakes election cycle.

“What we're going to do is we're going to convert possession of drug offenses like methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and all these hard drugs. Doing this multiple times will convert it from a misdemeanor to a felony,” Honsal said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, on the other hand, claims the Prop 36 campaign is misleading and claims it would lead to mass incarceration again. A view supported by groups like the California Budget and Policy Center, which argue it would drive up prison costs in the state and deepen inequities.

Others like the ACLU of Northern California agree and were not available for comment. But on their website they call the measure a “prison spending fraud,” which Humboldt leaders say is simply not true.

“We see the same people in our stores stealing from us almost literally day in and day out,” said Kevin Jenkins, a business owner in Humboldt County. “They find themselves in a situation where drugs have affected their thought processes so much that they stop even attending rehab, which they need, and that will give the courts the opportunity to allow them to participate in those rehab programs and to find an exit strategy from the life they find themselves in.”

Supporters say Prop 36 addresses large, interconnected problems facing California communities, such as homelessness, addiction and retail theft.

While critics say it makes cuts to drug programs to fund courts and incarceration.

But it's up to voters to decide on Election Day.

Click here to learn more about Proposition 36.