Vice President Harris declined to say how she voted on a ballot measure in California that would reverse criminal justice reforms. She confirmed she had “just filled out” her mail-in ballot and it was “on its way to California,.” reports the Associated Press. Regarding the criminal justice issue, Harris said, “I am not going to talk about the vote on that. Because honestly it’s the Sunday before the election and I don’t intend to create an endorsement one way or another around it." Harris is a former San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general. Her decision not to disclose her position on the high-profile initiative could leave her open to criticism from Donald Trump that she is being soft on crime and from some left-leaning voters who would like to see her speak out against what they perceive as draconian anticrime efforts.
The initiative would make the crime of shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders and increase penalties for some drug charges, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. It would give judges the authority to order people with multiple drug charges to get treatment. ponents said the initiative is necessary to close loopholes that have made it challenging for law enforcement to punish shoplifters and drug dealers. Opponents, including Democratic state leaders and social justice groups, said the proposal would disproportionately imprison poor people and those with substance use issues rather than target ringleaders who hire large groups of people to steal goods for them to resell online. Crime data shows the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles saw a steady increase in shoplifting between 2021 and 2022, according to the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. Across the state, shoplifting rates rose during the same time period but were still lower than the pre-pandemic levels in 2019, while commercial burglaries and robberies have become more prevalent in urban counties.
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