California Democratic lawmakers pushed back Monday against Republican talking points about a handful of crime bills, saying legislation targeting retail theft and not a proposed ballot initiative — is the best way to address the problem. Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire said Republicans have been spreading “hogwash” about crime bills. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said phrases like “poison pill,” used by Republicans, are propaganda and demonstrate their goal is to play politics. “There are no poison pills,” Rivas said, adding, “These amendments are necessary.” Democrats intend to add an urgency clause to the bills, meaning they will become law immediately after being signed by the governor. If a proposed ballot measure passes in November and repeals Proposition 47, the crime bills would be voided, reports Courthouse News Service.
Proposition 47 was passed 10 years ago. Its purpose is to focus prison dollars on violent and serious offenses. Certain drug and theft charges were dropped to misdemeanors. Critics have said the proposition emboldened thieves, pointing to videos on social media that show brazen thefts. The bills address issues ranging from vehicle break-ins to the aggregation of thefts to meet a legal threshold for prosecution. McGuire argued that the package of bills will be more effective at combatting retail theft than a repeal of Proposition 47, which is a goal of some Republicans. The legislative fix is preferred by retailers, he said, adding the days of mass incarceration in California are over.