California voters want a crackdown on rising crime and better accountability, a university survey reports.
Seventy-eight percent of those surveyed say crime has increased in the state, according to the UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll. Fifty-nine percent said they would change Proposition 47, which reduced some felonies to misdemeanors.
Too few “smash and grab robberies” are solved or punished, the Times reported.
Republican and Democratic legislators have introduced bills to amend Proposition 47. One would lower the value of goods stolen back to $400 to make it a felony, noted the article.
The poll indicates 88% of conservatives want to amend Proposition 47, said the Feb. 15 Times story.
Property and violent crimes increased in Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, and San Francisco in 2021, prior to the pandemic, said the story.
More Californians are concerned about crime than they are about the coronavirus pandemic, reported the Times.
Another proposal would allow prosecutors to add sentence enhancements, and allow them to charge misdemeanors as felonies if a defendant has two or more prior theft convictions, according to newspaper.
“There is also active effort on the part of people who oppose criminal justice reform to push a narrative that these crimes shifts are related to criminal justice reform, said Lenore Anderson, president of Alliance for Safety and Justice.
Late last year Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed $300 million to help law enforcement combat organize theft rings, noted the article.
Fifty-one percent of those polled said they did not like the way Newsom handles crime and public safety.
“Every candidate … has to be tough on crime. It is the top issue in the state,” said Anne Hyde-Dunsmore, campaign manager of the failed Newsom recall campaign.
