With the explosion of fentanyl and other powerful opioids, drug overdoses have become the leading cause of death for Californians aged 15-44.
Substance abuse disproportionately impacts California’s homeless population, which has grown nearly 60% over the last ten years, even as it has decreased in most other states. California has seen retail theft spike as accountability for non-violent crime has waned and as some have turned to theft to fund their addictions. This has not only shuttered many small businesses, it has functioned as a “theft tax” that increases the cost that working families pay at the checkout counter by hundreds of dollars every year.
By supporting Proposition 36 on the November ballot, Californians can work to address all three of these issues by restoring tools that mandate treatment for addicts caught up in the criminal justice system, and consequences for repeat thieves and those dealing fentanyl.
It’s just common sense.
In 2014, Californians voted to pass Proposition 47, which reclassified many non-violent drug and property offenses as misdemeanors. While the measure was effective in reducing overcrowded prisons, it also brought unintended consequences by undermining judges’ ability to address the harm caused by repeat offenders who are unable or unwilling to change their ways.
In the ten years since Prop. 47 passed, overdose deaths have doubled. Too many addicts are not getting the treatment they need.
Last March, California took an important first step by passing Proposition 1, which will build 10,000 new treatment beds across the state. Prop. 36 builds on this work by restoring judges’ ability to require repeat offenders struggling with substance abuse to engage in treatment–so the people who most need these new treatment beds will get them.
Research shows that treatment works. It generates up to $7 in savings and increased tax revenue for every dollar we invest and reduces criminal recidivism. More importantly, it can save lives, bring more un-housed neighbors indoors, and offer those suffering on our streets a viable alternative to stealing and dealing.
This cannot and should not be a partisan issue. That’s why the mayors of San Jose, San Francisco, and San Diego along with hundreds of local elected officials from across California have come out in support of Prop. 36. We see the suffering in our communities every day, and recognize the cost of holding repeat offenders accountable and treating the crisis of addiction is an investment that more than pays for itself.
Today, local governments spend over $50,000 per homeless person per year (and rising) on average just to manage the effects of living on the street – whether emergency room visits, fire and police response to encampments, trash clean up, and other costs. And while homelessness is not a crime, over 50 percent of homeless individuals report having been involved with the criminal justice system. Prop. 36 is a chance to intervene and help these individuals get the help they need to come off, and stay off, our streets.
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There have been those seeking to scare voters into thinking Prop 36 is somehow a step back to the era of mass incarceration. This is nonsense. Prop. 36 allows us to fulfill the original promise of Prop. 47, which was to shift the focus from incarceration to treatment. Without it, we will continue to see repeat offenders cycle between the streets, emergency rooms, and arrests for theft without ever getting the treatment they need.
Let us be clear. Failing to combat an epidemic that has transformed too many California cities into a national caricature is not progressive leadership. It’s not conservative leadership. It’s an abdication of leadership.
As both local leaders holding non-partisan office, and as proud Democrats, we believe in taking sensible steps to save lives, to bring unhoused neighbors indoors, and to protect struggling small businesses and working families from a theft epidemic.
That’s why we support Proposition 36, and why we are urging others to join us.
Matt Mahan is the Mayor of San Jose and one of the co-sponsors of a non-partisan committee working to pass Proposition 36. Traci Park is a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing District 11.