Over the past decade, crime in California has been troubling, but the past year has seen a rapid and alarming increase. District attorneys with lenient policies are failing to address the surge in repeat violent offenders. A stark example occurred on Saturday night when an armed robbery targeted a Secret Service agent who had just finished working on President Biden’s detail.
Many might expect California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, to prioritize public safety, but recent emails obtained by CBS California between his chief of staff and Greg Totten, head of the California District Attorney’s Association, suggest otherwise. Despite Newsom’s denials, his actions hint at presidential ambitions. His commitment to “justice reform” and role in creating 2014’s Proposition 47—blamed for worsening the crime problem—mean he can’t support any fixes to this proposition without acknowledging its failures. Admitting mistakes, a sign of maturity, appears challenging for Newsom.
This stance is why Newsom opposes The Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act, a ballot initiative aimed at amending Prop 47 that qualified for the November 2024 ballot. Newsom’s administration, with the Democratic supermajority in Sacramento, has introduced a series of public safety bills. These are designed to confuse voters into thinking the initiative is unnecessary.
Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio noted that while such tactics might be unpopular, they can effectively prevent a return to mass incarceration. By sowing confusion, the goal is to discourage voter support for the initiative. Any legislation passed now could be reversed next year by the Democrats, who are likely to retain their majority. If the Fix Prop 47 initiative passes, it would be a permanent defeat for Newsom.
Newsom usually influences the supermajority to follow his lead, but with many Democratic legislators facing potential electoral losses if they don’t address public safety effectively, his leverage is weakened. Additionally, a vocal and united Republican minority, bolstered by frequent reports of violent crimes by repeat offenders, makes it harder for Democrats to align with Newsom’s agenda.
The proposed public safety bills are struggling in the legislature, leading Newsom to try another approach: collaborating with the California District Attorneys Association to support a legislative package and withdraw the ballot initiative. This plan failed over the weekend, as revealed by leaked emails to CBS News California Investigates.
In the email thread, Totten critiqued Newsom’s proposal, stating it failed to address the necessary reforms suggested by the ballot initiative, particularly for retail theft and repeat offenders. Totten suggested a joint legislative ballot measure for 2024 as a cost-effective solution and reminded Williamson that the initiative had already qualified for the ballot.
Williamson, attempting to schedule a weekend meeting due to legislative deadlines, refused to commit to writing anything beyond a tentative agreement for a joint measure in 2026. Totten insisted the public safety issues were too urgent to delay and suggested that without an amendment to Prop 47 in 2024, further discussions would be futile.
Frustrated by Totten’s firm stance, Williamson responded late at night, dismissing further talks and accusing Totten and his team of being unable to secure victories for over a decade. She also criticized Totten for canceling a meeting and not replying, displaying an aggressive tone characteristic of her past interactions, such as during the debate between Newsom and Ron DeSantis, which prompted her to delete her Twitter account:
On Monday, the seriousness of Williamson’s remarks became evident as “poison pills” were added to the public safety bills. These additions, often made against the wishes of the bill authors and co-sponsors, aimed to undermine the legislation’s effectiveness. These amended bills are set to go before committee on Tuesday, even as Sacramento Democrats scramble to distance themselves from the controversy.
Addressing the leaked email thread, Greg Totten shared with CBS that while he wouldn’t comment directly on the ongoing negotiations regarding the ballot measure, the goal of the initiative was clear. Totten emphasized their focus on mitigating the negative outcomes of Proposition 47, which has led to increased retail theft, fentanyl trafficking, and overdose deaths. He stressed the need for stronger incentives to encourage drug users into treatment, lamenting that political maneuvering by state leaders was taking precedence over public safety.
In response, Newsom’s office stated they regularly consult with a wide array of stakeholders. They claimed the California District Attorneys Association had initially requested a meeting but then canceled, suggesting their decision did not represent the consensus of their coalition.
This situation raises questions about why the Newsom administration often prefers to have non-disclosure agreements when drafting legislation.
