To the editor: I was disappointed to read The Times’ editorial opposing Proposition 36, a ballot measure that would reclassify some misdemeanors as felonies and would also create a new category of crime called a “treatment-mandated felony.”
For full disclosure, I am the assistant CEO of the California District Attorneys Assn., which is one of the sponsors of Proposition 36.
Proposition 36 is a measured approach to the horrible situation we find ourselves in. It makes smart and surgical modifications to Proposition 47, a well-intended but problematic measure passed 10 years ago. I hope your readers take a look at the editorial by the San Jose Mercury News saying that Proposition 36 is a “smart response” to crime, addiction and homelessness.
A recent highly respected poll found that 71% of likely California voters were in favor of the ballot measure. Among these are people who have lost loved ones to fentanyl and are tired of going to CVS and seeing socks and razors under lock and key.
Contrary to rhetoric of Proposition 36 opponents, nobody wants to go back to the days of disparately locking up brown and Black people. The goal is to make us more safe and help those living with addiction, mental illness and homelessness.
Proposition 36 will not solve the problem, but it will be one small step in the right direction.
Jonathan Raven, Davis, Calif.
..
To the editor: The choices we make have consequences. When people make poor choices, like committing a third misdemeanor theft, those people should receive negative consequences.
California politicians have created policies and a culture that have resulted in a lack of appropriate negative consequences for people who make poor choices. Instead, those consequences land on society.
Unhoused people who break the law and refuse help are allowed to go on destroying themselves and our communities, while consequences such as fires and hazardous waste plague the rest of us. Thieves who steal everything from detergent to copper wiring go largely unpunished, while the rest of us wait for the keys to store cabinets and walk on unsafe, dark sidewalks.
The editorial board’s opposition to Proposition 36 shows its disconnect from reality. A kindergartner learns that choices have consequences. We Angelenos have learned what happens when our leaders and law enforcement officials fail to hold people accountable for their actions.
Progressive leniency has resulted in the filthy city we have today. We must hold everyone accountable to the same legal standards and consequences. Don’t steal the pizza.
Victoria Mordecai, San Marino
