THEY’RE NOT IN SCHOOL THIS SUMMER. FIRST UP, THOUGH, CALIFORNIA VOTERS SLATED TO HAVE THE CHANCE THIS NOVEMBER TO CHANGE PARTS OF A PROPOSITION THAT HAS BECOME INFAMOUS FOR LOOSENING DRUG AND THEFT PENALTIES. GOOD EVENING. THANKS FOR BEING WITH US. I’M GULSTAN DART AND I’M EDIE LAMBERT A BALLOT MEASURE TO REFORM PROP 47 HAS MADE IT ONTO THE NOVEMBER BALLOT. AT LEAST IT LOOKS LIKE IT SO FAR. AND ASHLEY’S BEEN TRACKING ALL THE DETAILS AS THIS IS MARCHING TOWARD THE BALLOT. ABSOLUTELY. AND AS WE’VE BEEN REPORTING FOR THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS, THIS HAS BEEN AT THE CENTER OF A MAJOR POLITICAL BATTLE AT THE STATE CAPITOL THIS WEEK. WHILE IT HAS OFFICIALLY QUALIFIED FOR THE BALLOT, WE KNOW THAT NEGOTIATIONS ARE UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW TO POTENTIALLY GET IT OFF SO HERE’S WHAT THE INITIATIVE ASKS VOTERS TO APPROVE. FIRST, IT WOULD GIVE JUDGES THE OPTION WITH DRUG SENTENCING TO EITHER SEND DEALERS TO STATE PRISON INSTEAD OF COUNTY JAIL WHEN THEY ARE CONVICTED OF TRAFFICKING LARGE QUANTITIES. IT WOULD REQUIRE COURTS TO PROVIDE A FORMAL WARNING TO CONVICTED FENTANYL AND OTHER HARD DRUG DEALERS AND MANUFACTURERS THAT THEY COULD FACE MURDER CHARGES IF THEY DO IT AGAIN, AND SOMEONE DIES. THIS IS ALSO KNOWN AS ALEXANDRA’S LAW. THIS MEASURE WOULD ALSO ENHANCE PENALTIES FOR THOSE WHO DEAL HARD DRUGS, LIKE FENTANYL, THAT END UP KILLING OR SERIOUSLY INJURING SOMEONE. ALSO, A MAJOR STICKING POINT IN THESE NEGOTIATIONS. HERE, AN OFFENDER WITH TWO PRIOR CONVICTIONS OF THEFT CAN FACE A FELONY REGARDLESS OF THE VALUE OF STOLEN PROPERTY, AND THAT WOULD ALSO MEAN PRISON TIME. IT ALSO ENHANCES THE PENALTIES FOR THOSE WHO STEAL $50,000 OR MORE AND ADDS NEW LAWS TO ADDRESS SMASH AND GRAB THEFTS THAT RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT LOSS OR DAMAGE THAT ARE COMMITTED BY ONE OR MULTIPLE CRIMINALS WORKING TOGETHER. WE KNOW THE PROPONENTS OF THE INITIATIVE TURNED IN MORE THAN 900,000 SIGNATURES. THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID IT HAD VERIFIED MORE THAN 600,000 OF THOSE SIGNATURES AS OF TODAY, AND THERE WAS NO NEED TO CONTINUE COUNTING BECAUSE IT NEEDED JUST OVER HALF A MILLION. GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM AND SOME DEMOCRATIC STATE LAWMAKERS WANT THIS OFF THE BALLOT, WITH CONCERNS IT WILL REVERT CALIFORNIA BACK TO ITS DAYS OF MASS INCARCERATION. HERE’S ONE ASSEMBLYMAN’S MESSAGE TO THOSE BACKING THIS MEASURE TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WE’VE DONE, AND WHY ARE YOU PROCEEDING WITH THIS THING THAT ACTUALLY IS VERY ONE SIDED AND ACTUALLY HAS A, I THINK, HAS UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES THAT REALLY MOVE US IN FAVOR OF INCARCERATION, THAT I THINK THE CALIFORNIA VOTERS REJECTED WHEN THEY ADOPTED PROP 47. THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE SHOULDN’T BE MAKING CHANGES TO ADDRESS RETAIL CRIME, BUT WE DON’T HAVE TO GO BACK TO INCARCERATION, YOU KNOW, HIGH AMOUNTS OF INCARCERATION TO DO THAT. NOW, DEMOCRATIC LEADERS IN THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR ARE TRYING TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE PROPONENTS, SPECIFICALLY OF THIS MEASURE TO GET IT OFF THE BALLOT. LAWMAKERS HAVE A WHOLE SET OF BILLS RIGHT NOW MOVING THROUGH THE STATE CAPITOL THAT ADDRESS ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT. AND THEY SAY THEY’RE WILLING TO REPEAL THAT WHOLE EFFORT IF THE REFORMS TO PROPOSITION 47 PASSES, EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO, THEY HAVE ABOUT TWO WEEKS TO NEGOTIATE BEFORE THE SECRETARY OF STATE OFFICIALLY FINALIZES THE BALLOT, MEANING THAT YOU, THE VOTER, COULD OFFICIALLY VOTE ON THIS IN NOVEMBER. I ALSO THINK YOU HEAR PEOPLE THEY ARE GETTING. I THINK THE IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, WE DON’T WANT TO HAVE TOO MANY PEOPLE IN PRISON THAT THAT SEEMS TO BE WEARING THIN WITH SOME PEOPLE. RIGHT? AND I MEAN, THAT’S SORT OF THE IMPETUS BEHIND THIS BALLOT INITIATIVE WHICH HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO VOTERS IN THE PAST, INCLUDING DURING THE PANDEMIC IN 2020. SO THIS IS ANOTHER ATTEMPT THAT GAINED A LOT OF MOMENTUM JUST BASED OFF OF WHAT WE’VE SEEN IN HEADLINES, IN THE NEWS, IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND AND IT’LL ULTIMATELY COULD ULTIMATELY BE UP TO VOTERS TO DECIDE, OKAY,