California Governor Gavin Newsom scrapped his last-minute attempt to put an expansive crime-fighting measure on the November ballot.
State legislatures were set to vote on Wednesday as to whether to put the measure on the November ballot. The sudden withdrawal came as Newsom abruptly left California to support President Biden in DC.
A Crime-Fighting Measure
The scrapped measure was meant to compete with another tough-on-crime measure that has already made the November ballot.
The scrapped measure would’ve increased penalties for repeat shoplifting and drug dealers who lace their products with fentanyl.
Blame-Shifting
News of the controversial bill being junked was delivered to state Democrats in a call late on Tuesday.
The bill had been subject to extensive negotiations from progressive and moderate Democrats, who believed it had been hastily put together to compete with the other November initiative.
Newsom Says He Had Enough Votes
Newsom criticized supporters of the other tough-on-crime measure, accusing them of pushing “a ballot measure that would revive policies from the era of mass incarceration and the failed War on Drugs.”
Newsom assured supporters that he had the needed legislative votes but that leaders “were unable to meet the ballot deadline to secure necessary amendments to ensure this measure’s success and will be withdrawing it from consideration.”
Newsom Throws Support Behind President Biden
Governor Newsom is currently in Washington DC, showing support for the embattled President Joe Biden, who has faced calls from within his own party to step down after a poorly-received debate performance.
Newsom defended the President’s debate performance, saying “You don’t turn your back because of one performance. What kind of party does that?” “This president has delivered. We need to deliver for him at this moment.”
Scrapped Bill Divided Democrats
As aforementioned, many legislators took issue with the seemingly “hasty” nature of the bill’s creation.
Meanwhile, Politico reported that many lawmakers in the state took issue with Newsom’s trip to DC during a contentious moment in state politics.
Bill Opponents Celebrate
Greg Totten, co-chair of the Californians for Safer Communities group that organized the other crime ballot measure, praised Newsom for withdrawing the bill.
“We are pleased The Governor and Legislature have dropped their countermeasure and welcome them to join our campaign to responsibly amend Prop 47 to deal with retail theft, the fentanyl crisis and homelessness,” said Totten.
What is The Other Measure?
The other measure made the November ballot after attracting over 900,000 signatures – with the help of support from Target and Home Depot.
The ballot initiative called, the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act, would change Proposition 47 to toughen penalties for retail theft and require drug treatment for those charged with simple drug possession.
Newsom’s Headache Grows
While some media figures have begun talking up Newsom as a potential replacement for Joe Biden on the November Presidential ballot, he is currently facing a number of political headaches in California.
California currently has a budgetary deficit nearing $50 billion and Newsom recently faced criticism for delaying a measure to increase the minimum wage for healthcare workers.
What Voters Think of Gavin Newsom
Polling conducted in November 2023 found that California voters narrowly disapproved of Newsom’s job performance, by a margin of 49% to 44%.
However, attempts to defeat Newsom at the ballot box have been resounding failures. He won a landslide first victory in 2018 and defeated a recall effort in 2021 by a similarly decisive margin.
