Gov. Gavin Newsom was noncommittal Thursday when asked whether he plans to campaign against Proposition 36, a controversial anti-crime measure on the November ballot that targets theft and drug crimes and has divided Democrats.
“I’m afraid I can’t do it all,” Newsom said Thursday in San Francisco’s Mission District during a signing of a major affordable housing package, adding that he has much to do between now and Election Day. “I’m trying to get Kamala Harris elected president of the United States. … I’m just praying, really, that people take a good look at Prop. 36.”
The ballot measure addresses drug and theft offenses by implementing tougher penalties for repeat retail theft offenders, regardless of the value of the stolen merchandise. It would also mandate drug treatment as an option, instead of jail, for those who commit certain drug-related offenses. The measure would amend critical parts of Proposition 47, a ballot measure that voters overwhelmingly approved in 2014.
A new poll released Thursday found that 71% of likely California voters said they would vote in favor of Proposition 36. Another poll released in August by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times found that a smaller share of voters, 56%, would likely support Proposition 36.
“I was wondering what state he lived in,” Newsom said when he saw the poll results Thursday morning. “I know people are angry, I know people are frustrated. I am, too. But this is not the way to solve it.”
For nearly nine months, Newsom has railed against the initiative, warning that the damage to Black and Latino communities will be “next level.” On Thursday, he reiterated a point he has made several times during his recent public appearances: the fact that the measure lacks a funding plan. Newsom called it an “unfunded mandate.” Legislative analysts project it could cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
“There’s not a single dollar involved,” Newsom said. “There’s this idea that it’s treatment on demand, which is a terrible thing, considering there’s not a single dollar involved.”
The governor criticized the drug treatment component of the measure, saying it “guarantees” mental health treatment, but questioned how that enforcement would work when residential treatment centers in 22 of the state’s 58 counties “don’t exist.” He warned: “This is mass incarceration, this is a 1980s mentality.”
Proposition 36’s backers include a group of county district attorneys, law enforcement groups, three prominent Democratic mayors — including London Breed of San Francisco, Matt Mahan of San Jose and Todd Gloria of San Diego — and a handful of moderate Democratic lawmakers. The initiative’s biggest backers include Walmart, which recently donated another $1 million. Target and Home Depot were initial backers, according to financial filings.
Meanwhile, major donors are stepping up their support for Prop. 36, including Patty Quillin with $500,000, Stacy Schusterman with $325,000, Quinn Delaney with $225,000 and the ACLU of Northern California with $120,000. Opponents of the measure include a long list of elected Democrats and criminal justice advocacy groups.
In addition to Prop 36, Newsom referenced a number of other November ballot measures that concern him, including a measure that could raise taxes on health insurance providers. He expressed doubts about his ability to campaign against them.
“It’s a question of bandwidth,” the governor said.
