I had the privilege of serving as mayor, and I witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of Proposition 47 on our communities.
Under my tenure as mayor, San Diego consistently ranked among the top safest cities in the country. This was no coincidence. It was done by design. We gave our officers in the San Diego Police Department the tools and resources necessary to fight crime and keep all neighborhoods safe regardless of zip code.
But Prop. 47 threatens the critical safety that we’ve worked hard to establish in San Diego. This measure has failed to address the root causes of crime and has instead exacerbated the issues it supposedly sought to solve. It’s time to confront the failures and devastating impacts of Prop. 47 by enacting meaningful reforms that prioritize the safety and well-being of all Californians — at the ballot box.
One of the most pressing issues facing our state is the epidemic of organized and serial retail theft, otherwise known as “smash and grab.” Businesses and residents are suffering because criminals know they can brazenly steal with immunity under Prop 47. This measure fails to hold repeat offenders accountable, allowing them to continue terrorizing our communities. It’s time for a change that ensures those who repeatedly engage in retail theft face real consequences for their actions rather than being cycled back onto our streets to commit more crimes.
We’ve all witnessed the viral videos and nightly news coverage showing criminals robbing stores in broad daylight, and nothing can be done about it thanks to Prop. 47. Our law enforcement officials can’t arrest those individuals and put them behind bars for their actions. The real problem is that without any action and without any real consequences, Prop. 47 has invited a new wave of criminals to run our streets as they please and that’s something we must not continue to allow.
Reforming Prop. 47 would address multiple problems facing our state, including our fentanyl crisis, which has reached alarming levels. Open-air drug markets have taken over our streets, claiming the lives of far too many of our youth. It’s unconscionable that this deadly drug is not treated with the severity it deserves.
By defining fentanyl as a hard drug and holding traffickers accountable, we can stem the tide of this epidemic and, most importantly, save lives. Granting judges greater discretion in sentencing drug traffickers is a crucial step toward ensuring justice is served and our communities are protected.
Importantly, this ballot measure reintroduces incentives to get people into drug treatment because that’s what kept the lid on the homeless problem. Drug treatment works. Since the passage of Prop. 47 in 2014, homelessness has exploded across California. We have seen a 51% percent increase in homelessness in our state.
Over the same time period, homelessness in other states decreased 11 percent. We have drug courts that are not being used because of Prop. 47 because in the rare case there is an arrest, violators are offered a choice to walk away or go to drug court. Just about everyone elects to walk away.
We cannot afford to continue down the path set by Prop. 47, which has only served to undermine public safety and exacerbate the very problems it was meant to solve. It’s time for bold action to reform our criminal justice system and prioritize the safety and well-being of all Californians.
That’s why I’m urging all citizens who are fed up with the crime wave that continues to trample over California to support reforms that address organized and serial retail theft, confront the fentanyl crisis head-on, and prioritize mental health and drug treatment services — like this critical Prop. 47 reform will do. Find your local signature gatherer and sign the petition to get this reform on the ballot. Our communities simply deserve better.
Kevin Faulconer is a California native who served as the 36th mayor of San Diego from 2014 to 2020. As mayor, Faulconer prioritized homelessness, fiscal responsibility, infrastructure improvements, and public safety. During his tenure, San Diego was ranked as the safest city in the country and was the only big city in California to see back-to-back years of a reduction in homelessness thanks to the policies he implemented as Mayor.
