With just two weeks to the signature deadline, the initiative to End Prop. 47 has all the momentum. The latest proof: opponents are in full panic mode, with the pro-criminal coalition now launching a “counteroffensive.”
A story in Politico reports that so-called “criminal justice advocates” are now “mobilizing to thwart [the] ballot initiative. The story continues: “The counteroffensive signals that those advocates fear the initiative to crack down drug and property crimes has a strong chance of landing on the November ballot.”
What they “fear,” Politico reports, is we’re about to “unravel” all the reckless laws they’ve inflicted on California. So they’ve launched a six-figure ad campaign warning the far-left that the initiative is “backed by Republicans like Rep. Kevin Kiley.” They don’t mention, of course, that it has broad bipartisan support, including from the mayors of San Francisco and San Jose.
The groups funding the counteroffensive have “poured millions into California prosecutor and crime ballot measure campaigns.” They even filed a frivolous “complaint” that aims to get people to stop signing the End 47 Petition. Oddly, it veers into a personal rant against me:
“Kiley’s longstanding crusade to repeal Proposition 47…Kiley has long been closely identified with the repeal of Proposition 47…In the Assembly, he sponsored and championed the bill to repeal Proposition 47…Kiley has been active in promoting the [repeal] Ballot Measure…he has provided crucial public awareness for the initiative.”
Meanwhile, the audit of homelessness spending in California is out, and the results are infuriating: “California spent $24 billion to tackle homelessness over the past five years but didn’t consistently track whether the huge outlay of public money actually improved the situation.”
I first asked for the audit in 2020, but Newsom intervened to kill it. Now we know why. It’s yet another example of how in California, we sacrifice the most and get the least in return.