Tougher on crime: Investigating California's Proposition 36
Crime was on the 2024 ballot in California, and the decision by voters was decisive. Despite vocal opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic Party leaders, California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36.
Proposition 36 aims to revive drug court participation and increase penalties for certain theft and drug offenses in California.
This year-long investigation by CBS News California investigative correspondent Julie Watts examines the many components of California's new tougher-on-crime law.
CHAPTER 1: The intersection of homelessness, addiction and retail theft
Voters passed California's "tougher-on-crime" Proposition 36 with the largest margin of any measure on the ballot, despite vocal opposition from Democratic Leadership inside California's state Capitol. This highlighted a bit of a disconnect between state lawmakers and the people they represent.
The initiative's official name is "The Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act." The name references three issues that supporters believe are intertwined.
We begin our examination of Prop 36 at the intersection of addiction, homelessness, and retail theft.
CHAPTER 2: What happens to retail theft ringleaders?
In the lead-up to the election, California Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta publicized thousands of statewide organized retail theft arrests, but what the press releases didn't say is what happens to the retail theft ring leaders after the arrests.
No one could tell us how many of those people arrested for organized retail theft were actually sentenced, let alone how many went to jail, received treatment, or reoffended.
It turned out no one was keeping track. So we tracked down a few ourselves.
CHAPTER 3: Playing politics with Alexandra's memory
While retail theft and drug courts are key components of Prop 36, a warning for fentanyl dealers known as "Alexandra's Law"
pit democratic leadership against grieving parents and exposed how things really work in California's State Capitol.
Alexandra's story provides a glimpse of California politics through the eyes of two grieving parents who say powerful politicians played politics with their daughter's memory.