California retailers are backing a new ballot proposition that seeks to raise penalties for drug and property crimes amid a surge in such offenses.
In 2014, California voters approved Proposition 47, a ballot measure that reclassified some non-violent offenses such as shoplifting and grand theft as misdemeanors instead of felonies, thereby reducing their penalties.
Amid a massive increase in such offenses in California and complaints from businesses, retailers are backing a new ballot initiative — The Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act — that seeks to reverse the effects of Proposition 47 and reclassify these offenses as felonies.
“Cal Retailers supports the initiative,” a California Retailers Association told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “This issue is too important to the safety of our employees, our customers, and the communities in which we operate to not find effective solutions.”