Legislative leaders plan to fast-track bills to crack down on retail theft in California and are using the package of reforms to pressure supporters o

New change coming to retail theft legislation could splinter support for tough-on-crime initiative

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2024-06-07 09:30:07

Legislative leaders plan to fast-track bills to crack down on retail theft in California and are using the package of reforms to pressure supporters of a proposed tough-on-crime initiative headed for the November ballot to abandon that effort.

In a closed-door discussion this week, representatives for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) met with the leaders behind the Californians for Safer Communities Coalition, the group led by local district attorneys that has spent the last six months campaigning for voter support to reform Proposition 47, which voters passed in 2014.

Two people with knowledge of the meeting said legislative leaders are moving forward with a hard-ball approach that would make voters choose between the two efforts — and could splinter support for the ballot measure.

Unless the ballot measure is withdrawn, the Democratic leadership plans to add an “inoperability clause” to its legislation that would revoke the new laws if voters pass the statewide proposition in November, according to the sources and a letter Republicans sent to legislative leaders.