California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas speaks at a press conference on a legislative package to crack down on retail theft on Monday, June 10, 2024 in Sacramento, Calif. California Democratic leadership is considering a plan to void the package if voters approve a tough-on-crime ballot initiative backed by local district attorneys and businesses.
The ballot measure would still need to be certified by the Secretary of State before it could be placed on the ballot later this month.. They worry the ballot measure’s proposal would disproportionately criminalize low-income people and those with substance use issues rather than target ringleaders whoand auto thieves, and provide funding for drug addiction counselors. These proposals could become laws as early as this month.
About a third of the measures in the package pose possible legal conflicts with the proposals in the ballot initiative, according to lawmakers. “We still stand ready to sit down with anybody in leadership to talk about the measure, but I don’t want to compromise,” Greg Totten, a retired district attorney and a leader of the ballot initiative campaign, said during a news conference this week.