Californians for Safer Communities Reports Initiative Goals at PPCC Meeting

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Pacific Palisades Community Council invited Michaela Fritzsch on behalf of Californians for Safer Communities to join its Thursday, May 9, meeting to present about the coalition.

PPCC President Maryam Zar explained that Californians for Safer Communities is a coalition in support of the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act.

“They have submitted over 900,000 signatures to qualify for the 2024 General Election ballot, and so [Fritzsch] wanted to tell us a little bit about that initiative,” Zar said before handing the floor to Fritzsch.

Fritzsch explained that in 2014, California voters voted in Proposition 47, which reduced many charges from felonies to misdemeanors.

“One of those being drug possession and the other being retail crime,” Fritzsch said. “One of the most notable, or recognizable, characteristics was that $950 threshold that it set. [Meaning] if you went into a store and stole less than $950 [worth of products], that would be a misdemeanor charge, rather than a felony previously.”

Fritzsch said homelessness has largely increased in California, nearly 51%. Simultaneously, retail theft and drug addiction have become “rampant” issues.

Fritzsch explained misdemeanors are typically low priority, and because of Proposition 47, there has been little accountability or deterrence for these issues.

“Some of these things have made California feel less safe,” she said. “Now that we’re about 10 years past … we’re able to see some of the unintended consequences that [Proposition 47] left behind … Our measure is a solution to that.”

Fritzsch said over 900,000 signatures were submitted on April 23 to the Secretary of State to qualify for the 2024 General Election in November—546,651 were necessary to qualify.

The Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act attempts to tackle three different things: It addresses organized and serial retail theft, confronts the fentanyl crisis, and prioritizes mental health and drug treatment.

The measure would hold repeat offenders accountable, rather than putting them back on the streets. The measure also defines fentanyl as a hard drug, and is designed to hold individuals convicted of trafficking fentanyl accountable and grant judges greater discretion in sentencing drug traffickers.

The measure aims to provide mental health, drug treatment services and job training for people who are homeless and suffering from mental illness, or struggling with substance abuse.

“Off of our survey work that we conducted, about 92% believe fentanyl is a major threat to public safety, 84% believe that theft is rampant … and 82% believe homelessness is rampant and driving criminal behavior,” Fritzsch said.

One attendee asked Fritzsch why the proposition could not be approved by the Assembly, given its heavy support. She explained Proposition 47 was voted by voters, which means elements of it have to come back to the voters.

“It sounds like people are concerned … about public safety and the laws that deal with them,” Zar said to Fritzsch. “If there is more information, please bring it to us.”

For more information, visit casafecommunities.com.