The measure will appear before California voters this November.
By a vote of 3-2, San Diego Board of Supervisors voted against endorsing Proposition 36, the state-wide ballot measure designed to curb property crime.
Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond supported the measure while Supervisors Nora Vargas, Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe opposed the measure.
After the vote, Desmond spoke on his support for the Proposition calling it “a vital step towards making our community safer and giving people a chance to rebuild their lives.”
On X, Desmond added, “I believe that the government’s number one responsibility is to provide safe communities where families and businesses can thrive. Without safety, we don’t have a functioning society. Proposition 36 will give us a chance to take back our state from the rampant drug use and crime we’ve seen in our communities, urban areas, and businesses.”
Vice Chair Lawson Remer expressed concern that Prop 36 could cost California vital resources currently devoted to drug addiction and mental health support.
Desmond has pointed to a 40% rise in prostitution in San Diego and a 4% rise in aggravated assault as evidence that changes are needed to curtail crime in the county.
County District Attorney Summer Stephan also said she supports Proposition 36. “What Prop 36 will do is it will balance out rough edges basically that Prop 47 left behind,” Stephan said.
Ever since the passage of Proposition 47, property crime under $950 will always be classified as a misdemeanor and rarely booked into jail, regardless of habitual offense.
Stephan said the current law has left business owners and employees feeling helpless and hopeless in the face of recurring crime and lost revenue.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria also supports the resolution. “I believe that 2024 is the year that we have to reform Proposition 47, and I spent the last number of months working with state legislators and the governor to try and make that happen,” Gloria said. “Sadly, those efforts have failed. And so at this point, I have no choice but to support Proposition 36.”
The vote by the Board of Supervisors is an expression of support/opposition, not a legally binding ordinance.
