Newsom withdraws ballot challenge to Prop. 47 reform effort in dramatic about-face

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has abandoned his anti-crime ballot measure meant to compete with Republicans’ own crime-fighting initiative – a stunning reversal after weeks of intense negotiations and previously failed attempts to undercut the rival Proposition 47 reform measure.

Democrats’ retreat comes just a day after Newsom and leading Democratic lawmakers publicly announced their competing ballot measure proposal, confidently presenting what they called a “robust” measure meant to tackle property crime and the fentanyl crisis.

In a statement Tuesday night, the governor said Democrats “are unable to meet the ballot deadline to secure necessary amendments to ensure this measure’s success and we will be withdrawing it from consideration.”

The about-face signals a massive miscalculation by the Democrats and governor and has raised questions over whether Newsom’s nonstop stumping for the party’s presidential candidate factored into the decision.

More: Retailers want vote on stiffer penalties for theft, drug possession in California

Lawmakers faced a Wednesday night deadline to amass enough Democratic support to push the measure through to meet ballot measure deadlines. But after an unsuccessful legislature vote Tuesday, the extent of Democrats’ divisions was laid bare.

Meanwhile, Newsom left the state Wednesday for Washington, D.C., joining President Joe Biden for a meeting with Democratic governors intended to quell fears and increase party support for the president’s reelection campaign.

The frenzied back-and-forth in Sacramento this week closes the book on any possibility of a competing crime measure, which Democrats ardently pursued for months in hopes to prevent the Proposition 47 reform initiative, named the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act. The measure, which qualified for the November ballot in June, is backed by many county sheriffs and district attorneys, along with Republican lawmakers and retail giants like Target, Walmart and Home Depot.

Democrats have been increasingly divided on the competing ballot measure proposal and political maneuvers surrounding it. Newsom's proposed measure ruffled feathers within his party over provisions that would void the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act if it passed, which some lawmakers have called a poison pill and suggested would undercut voters' will.

What is California's Prop. 47?

Proposition 47 is a backbone of the state’s progressive criminal justice reforms, passed by voters in 2014 and upheld in a 2020 election challenge.

It lowered theft and drug possession from felonies to misdemeanors, focusing instead on treatment programs for smaller offenses and direct prison funding toward violent or dangerous offenses. Proponents say it has made the state’s criminal justice more equitable and less punitive, lowering prison populations and refocusing resources on treatment and prevention.

More: Tough-on-crime measure that would reform Prop 47 qualifies for California ballot

The measure has become a lightning rod in recent years as high-profile "smash-and-grab" retail thefts attracted wide attention and took on a partisan hue. Republicans roundly criticize the proposition, arguing in part that its reclassification of certain crimes as misdemeanors is to blame for the thefts. Detractors say this has minimized penalties and emboldened criminals, however there is no independent data definitively linking the two.

Newsom and other leading Democrats have fiercely defended Prop. 47 and launched multiple attempts to stop, gut or challenge the reform ballot initiative. Senate pro Tem Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) has called pre-Prop. 47 policies “draconian” and said they devastated communities of color in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Kathryn Palmer is the California 2024 Elections Fellow for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Newsom withdraws Prop 47 reform ballot measure crime theft