Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed a new financial package to assist local law enforcement and prosecutors in their fight against crime. The statement comes after a spike in high-profile store thefts across California by members of organized criminal networks.
Over the next three years, Newsom intends to award $285 million in grants to law enforcement and district attorneys, as well as $25 million to small businesses that have been robbed. The funds will be included in the January budget proposal. In addition, the governor’s plan calls for the establishment of a permanent Smash and Grab Enforcement Unit.
The suggestion demonstrates that crime has become a possible weakness for Newsom. It’s also a possible weakness for Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is up for re-election against Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. She’s been airing social media commercials with images of the store robberies, promising to “end the turmoil in our criminal justice system.”
Although an additional $300 million in grants would be welcome, law enforcement and prosecutors have made it known that they want revisions to several of the recent criminal justice reforms. Propositions 47 and 57, which abolished cash bail, as well as contentious measures imposed by the district attorneys of Los Angeles and San Francisco, are among them.
Jerry Brown, the former governor of California, appears to concur that certain policy adjustments are required.
“Right now, they just hand you a ticket, and you walk in and leave.” That’s because there’s no bail and no consequences,” he told CSU in a recent interview.
Newsom has made it clear that he will not back down on criminal justice reforms.
“We’re not going back on our state’s promise to significant changes,” Newsom declared on Friday. “We’re not going back in time to repair previous wrongs in this state.” We’re not going back on the rules and restrictions that the voters and others set, which I believe are sound and proper.”
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