Progressive California mayors back effort to amend crime laws amid ‘rampant’ drugs and theft

Progressive mayors are backing an effort to undo certain policies in a decades-old California crime referendum that downgraded penalties for petty theft and drug possession that critics say has emboldened criminals.

The 2014 law in question, Proposition 47, reclassified a number of felonies, including retail and property theft, as misdemeanors. Under Prop 47, petty theft of goods valued under $950 is classified as a misdemeanor, even for multiple offenses. It also took a broad swath of narcotics possession offenses that were previously felonies and converted them to misdemeanors.

But a ballot initiative to amend Prop 47, called the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act, has been earning support from both sides of the political spectrum in the Golden State, and has already received nearly 70% of the petition signatures required to be included on the ballot this November, according to the campaign behind the measure.

“This initiative, make no mistake about it… is a very balanced, very measured and thoughtful approach,” Greg Totten, co-chair of Californians to Reduce Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft and CEO of the California District Attorneys Association, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “It’s not blue, it’s not red. It’s just about California.” 

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Two Democratic progressive mayors in two of California’s biggest cities — San Francisco Mayor London Breed and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan — endorsed the reform campaign earlier this week. 

Breed, who initially supported Prop 47, said that she’s now seeing unintended consequences of the measure as she tries to crack down on illegal drugs and theft in her city, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. 

“Our goal is not to keep people locked up,” she said. “But when there are no real consequences for crimes that are committed in this city, that’s a real problem.”

Proposition 47 reclassified a number of felonies, including retail and property theft, as misdemeanors. (California Highway Patrol via Facebook)

Totten — who, prior to his position with the California District Attorneys Association, served as a prosecutor for four decades — explained to Fox News Digital that, conceptually, Prop 47 was initially presented as a way to drive “more treatment, less jail.”

Totten said that while…