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I wonder how much of this has to do with Prop 47 which resulted in only a citation and no arrest for: • Commercial burglary (theft under $950) • Forgery and bad checks (under $950 value) • Theft of most firearms • Theft of a vehicle (under $950 value) • Possession of stolen property (under $950 value) • Possession of heroin, cocaine, illegal prescriptions, concentrated cannabis, and methamphetamine

It's California-wide, but it would be interesting if an increase in crime happened after it was passed.



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Proposition 47 reduced many felony theft offenses to misdemeanors. It would be surprising if this didn't lead to an increase in crime in California.

Sure?

"Proposition 47 did not end prosecution of thefts under $950 in California"

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-160551360299



It might have reclassified those thefts from felonies to misdemeanors.

https://www.courts.ca.gov/prop47.htm

Idk if it’s the news or what but California seems to be turning into a bureaucratic nightmare. I don’t think more housing (OP) solves much of the issues that California has either.


Nothing. Prop 47 is a state measure for simple possession. This is conspiracy to traffic, interstate wire fraud, federal crimes prosecuted under federal statutes. Even if these were state charges Prop 47 didn't really change much (or anything) sentencing for sales.

People down voted you but completely ignore the fact that California basically tried just that and still has it on its books and the results were so predictable [1]

proposition 47 made anything below $950 keeps the crime a misdemeanor which likely means the thieves face no pursuit and no punishment. this led to a spike in car break ins as well. You can do this daily!

the simple matter he is that those voting on such changes to the law are not going to be troubled by the uptick as where they tread they are likely never to be victims of their policy

[1] https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/while-cities-homeless-...


> You're talking about Prop 47, and the number is $950. There's some pretty widespread misconceptions about Prop 47, first of which is that theft under that amount is not "legal" - it's just a misdemeanor instead of a felony.

> But I think something much more important to recognize is that this law is hardly a uniquely Californian affair. Texas, of all places, has an equivalent law, except its limit is $2500 - higher than California's: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2017/08/09/what-s-the-pun...

Unlike in Texas, misdemeanors aren't taken seriously at all in California (i.e., the charges are usually dropped), to the point that things that don't reach the bar of being a felony are de facto legal.


https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_47,_Reduced_P...

>The initiative reduced the classification of most nonviolent property and drug crimes—including theft and fraud for amounts up to $950—from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Then read this to see the real world consequences:

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/11/steal...

Now you can just walk around stealing packages with virtually no consequences. SFPD all but refuses to cite for theft now.


Prop 47 imposed this state-wide. Its why package theft is such a huge problem now - its a catch-and-release crime.


For what it’s worth, petty crime in Cali got much worse after Prop 47 passed in 2014. That wasn’t capitalism at work, it was “progressive” thinking that overcrowded prisons could become less crowded by decriminalizing various crimes.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_California_Proposition_...


CA Proposition 47 made petty theft to be a misdemeanor and not a felony anymore. And in result police will spend fewer resources on something that can end up as just a citation.

That'll be a lonely hill to die on. We in California collectively decided that theft under $950 is not a big deal and should be fought less vigorously: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_California_Proposition_47

For all those out there that applauded Prop 47 that helped lead to this mess let me tell you a story of how this law leads to more inequality not less.

A single mother working 2 minimum wage jobs in different parts of the city uses her car to travel to work. She basically lives in her car so she must keep belongings she will need in there. While working her first shift for the day her car is broken into. Her bag with her uniform for her second shift is stolen along with everything else.

The cops tell her that the damage to her 20 year old used car's window and the items stolen add up to less than $950 so they can't do much of anything for her.

Meanwhile, across town, a rich tech elite's high end electric car is broken into and some valuable electronics are stolen. The damage and theft adds up to well over $950 so the police are able to investigate.

At the end of the day the tech elite orders replacement electronics with next day prime delivery and has their assistant work on repairing the window. The single mother gets fired from her second job for not having the appropriate attire. Great work California.


That's not quite true. Prop 47 made those crimes misdemeanors. Police lowered enforcement as a political protest or not caring about doing their jobs.

Proposition 47 essentially decriminalized shoplifting. Californians literally voted for this petty crime wave. As a Florida resident, all I can say is, y'all have fun with that

My understanding of prop 47 reduced up charging and limited non violent theft to a misdemeanor offense. To my knowledge it doesn’t block enforcement of misdemeanor crimes.

When California Proposition 47 passed in 2014 it reclassified many auto burglaries from felonies to misdemeanors. So DAs in many counties stopped prosecuting those.

To be fair, the voters in California decided to treat these crimes as misdemeanors, no matter how many times you're caught stealing. It's what the people wanted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_California_Proposition_47
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