California sheriff slams Gov. Newsom over crime policy, calls for reform

Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County is championing the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act, a proposed ballot initiative that seeks to roll back elements of Prop 47. He accused state officials of misleading voters, saying, "Quite frankly, we were lied to and misled by our state, in that the name and the description on the ballot was not something that we were getting," the Daily Wire reports.

Prop 47, which reclassified some low-level felonies as misdemeanors, has been linked to a drop in theft arrest rates, with only 6.6% of reported cases resulting in an arrest in 2022, compared to 15% in 2013, according to state data cited by KQED.

The proposed initiative aims to classify repeated theft as a felony for those with prior convictions, allow combining stolen property values for harsher penalties, and authorize enhanced sentences for organized theft or losses exceeding $50,000.

Bianco argued that without consequences, there is no incentive for offenders to change their behavior, advocating for a combination of rehabilitation and jail time. "If you need help to get fixed, then we should be able to help you. If you just flat out refuse, and you're going to continue to use drugs and cause us all to be victimized by your drug addiction and your theft and everything else, then you're going to suffer the consequences of jail time," he stated.

The sheriff called on Governor Newsom to support the initiative, accusing him and the state attorney general of having "no desire to fix any of these issues with crime and protect Californians." He also criticized the state's "failed political agenda" and the defense of Prop 47 despite its "unintended consequences."