Bill Would Amend California Prop. 47, Lowering Felony Threshold; GOP Lawmakers Push For Full Repeal
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A new bill has been introduced that would change California's Prop. 47 and lower the amount suspects can steal before facing a felony.
Assemblymember Rudy Salas, (D-Bakersfield) is behind the bill. He introduced it on the same day that two Republican state lawmakers, Kevin Kiley and James Gallagher, unveiled their bill that aims to fully repeal Prop. 47.
"Enough is enough, we need to fight back against the criminals who are stealing from our communities," Salas said in a statement about the bill's introduction on Tuesday.
California voters approved Prop. 47 back in 2014. It was billed as a way to reform the state's sentencing laws, reclassifying some nonviolent offenses from felonies (which carry harsher penalties) as misdemeanors.
Critics have since started to blame the proposition for helping cause the rise in retail thefts.
"When you pass laws to legalize bad behavior and have prosecutors who fail to hold people accountable, this is the end result," Kiley said in a statement about his bill.
Salas' amendment to Prop. 47 would try and address those criticisms by lowering the amount a suspect can steal before facing a felony from $950 to $400 - the original threshold.
"We have seen the unintended consequences of Prop 47's weakening of our theft laws and I believe California voters are ready to make their voices heard on this issue again," Salas stated.
As part of Salas' bill, the amendment would only become effective if California voters approve it through a ballot measure.
With Democrats making up a supermajority in the California legislature, Kiley and Gallagher's bill on a full Prop. 47 repeal likely has little chance of moving forward.