Another powerful California Democrat broke ranks with party brass and endorsed a November ballot initiative that would increase prison sentences for retail theft and drug crimes. State Sen. Dave Min said that he will support the initiative to roll back parts of Proposition 47 — a decade-old law that reduced penalties for some non-violent felony crimes, Politico reports. Min’s stance puts him at odds with Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders who oppose the crime ballot initiative sponsored by district attorneys. “While well intentioned, Proposition 47 has resulted in a wave of unintended consequences that have plagued our communities with a dramatic rise in retail theft and smash-and-grab robberies,” Min said.
Min’s announcement comes as Newsom tries to rally Democratic lawmakers behind a potential rival initiative that he’s hoping to put on the ballot in November. Newsom’s counter-proposal would likely increase penalties for theft, but would be less far-reaching than the initiative sponsored by DAs and likely wouldn’t touch sentences for drug possession. The legislature could vote on the new measure this week. Such a constitutional amendment would require a two-thirds vote in each house. Democrats in the legislature are also rushing to pass their own package of anti-crime legislation. Republicans have criticized Democrats over “poison pill” amendments they made to several of the bills, so they would be repealed in the initiative to roll back Prop 47 passes. Min plans to remove amendments from his retail-theft bill that would nullify the law if the ballot measure passed — a major point of contention. His measure would increase penalties for offenders who start fires in retail stores.