Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) is vowing to completely eliminate Proposition 47 with a constitutional amendment that he is currently drafting.
“Prop 47 has been a complete disaster as far as public safety is concerned and as far as the quality of life in our state is concerned,” Kiley told the Southern California Record. “We're looking to repeal the measure altogether.”
Kiley tweeted about his plan last week.
“Enough is enough. I am introducing a Constitutional Amendment to repeal Proposition 47,” he stated on Nov. 23.
Proposition 47, also known as the "Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act" is a referendum that was approved by voters in 2014. Co-authored by Los Angeles District County Attorney George Gascon, Prop 47 reduced some drug and theft crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and is being blamed for a recent rash of "smash, grab and run" burglaries at department stores by bands of thieves.
“We're trying to get the legislature to give the voters a chance to take another look at it because we think the original version that was approved in 2014 was inaccurately described to voters and that it didn’t give accurate information about what the consequences would be,” Kiley said. “So, now that people have had to live with those consequences, I think people will be ready to turn the page on this very failed experiment.”
Gascon has been in the process of overhauling LA County's judicial system to the chagrin of his critics. Specifically, Prop 47 downgrades the prosecution of thefts below $950 to misdemeanors.
“Who is benefitting from Prop 47 is the criminals who can get away with criminal conduct without any real consequence,” Kiley said. “There are some, such as George Soros and others who have funded initiatives like this to make our criminal laws a lot more lenient, which has now produced disastrous consequences and it's well past time for the pendulum to swing back towards public safety.”
On the night of Nov. 23, some 20 looters broke through a Nordstrom’s window in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles to steal $5,000 worth of merchandise, according to media reports.
“There are a lot of connections to organized crime,” Kiley added. “We do know that when someone commits lower-level offenses and there's no punishment and there's no rehabilitation, then they are very likely to graduate to higher-level offenses, which may indeed be connected to organized crime.”