California voters are largely in favor of stricter penalties for drug use and theft. A survey conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California, California State University Long Beach and Cal Poly Pomona, reflected a conservative shift in how Californians view criminal justice issues, despite remaining overwhelmingly Democratic. Nearly 58% of the 1,685 likely voters surveyed support Proposition 36, a November ballot measure that would increase penalties for drug crimes and serial theft, Politico reports. The measure is backed by prosecutors and would roll back parts of a landmark 2014 initiative, Proposition 47, that reduced prison sentences.
Only 19% of voters said they opposed Prop 36, despite warnings from Gov. Gavin Newsom and top Democrats in the legislature that it would return ineffective and overly punitive 1980s-era “war on drugs” policies to California. The apparently strong support for the initiative represents a marked shift from four years ago, when voters overwhelmingly rejected another tough-on-crime ballot measure, Proposition 20. That finding appears to be strongly influenced by voters’ perceptions that crime is still increasing in the state, although pandemic spikes in reported crime have largely subsided. The poll found nearly 52% of voters think that crime is at “historic highs” or higher than last year.
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