Prop 36 Passed: California Lawmaker Kevin Kiley Says Tougher Crime Enforcement Is Now Taking Effect

Republican Representative Kevin Kiley says California is becoming safer following the passage of Proposition 36, a voter-approved ballot measure aimed at strengthening penalties for theft and other crimes.

Kiley accused Governor Gavin Newsom of attempting to undermine the initiative, which he says was designed to restore accountability in the state’s criminal justice system. Despite opposition from the governor and some Democratic leaders, California voters passed Prop 36 by a wide margin.

Supporters argue the measure allows prosecutors to pursue repeat theft offenders more aggressively, while critics warn it could reverse criminal justice reforms. The debate highlights ongoing political divisions over crime, public safety, and enforcement in California.

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Transcript

00:00crime problem in the country. You know, you go to our major cities, most of the things in basic

00:06convenience stores are behind lock and key. And the cause of this is probably threefold,

00:11a lack of resources for police, some rogue district attorneys like George Gascon in LA,

00:18who fortunately has been removed by the voters, and then very weak laws when it comes to punishing

00:23retail theft. Things got so bad, we have a witness from Target here today,

00:28that last year, our governor, Gavin Newsom, was visiting a Target when a thief absconded with

00:35a variety of merchandise. And the governor starts berating one of the Target employees saying,

00:40why aren't you stopping them? And apparently the employee didn't recognize who she was talking to

00:44and said, well, we can't because of the governor. Despite this, the governor himself opposed an

00:51initiative that I was part of last year to actually restore some real consequences for

00:58retail theft in California. It eventually became known as Prop 36. The governor led the opposition

01:05against it. The state's political class closed ranks in opposing Proposition 36. And yet, at the end of

01:13the day, it passed with 68% of the vote. It passed in every single one of California's 58 counties, even

01:20Governor Newsom's San Francisco. It got more votes than any other measure on the ballot, showing just

01:27how fed up the people of California are with the rampant lawlessness that is proving such a threat to

01:35business and to safety. So we have a district attorney with us today, District Attorney 7. I know that you

01:42are a supporter, or at least are grateful for the passage of Prop 36. Can you just let us know how it's

01:48improved the ability of your office to actually hold criminals accountable and deter crime?

01:53And thank you, Representative Kiley, for your help with this proposition. It has been a game changer for us.

02:00We've been able to prosecute. It targets, as you know, habitual offenders. It doesn't target the kid

02:08who makes a mistake. But with targeting the habitual offenders, San Diego has already seen a 23% reduction

02:17in property crimes. It still doesn't get to that high-level organized criminals that we need this

02:25legislation, the CORCA legislation for. But it certainly has given us the tools to act. And of course,

02:32something that I worked on for a whole year alongside you and other leaders.

02:36That's right. The DA's association really led the charge on that. So thank you for all of your work

02:42on it and for what you're doing now. And we certainly need these measures at the federal level

02:46to supplement those new consequences. Just out of curiosity, if you could have...

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Prop 36 Passed: California Lawmaker Kevin Kiley Says Tougher Crime Enforcement Is Now Taking Effect

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