California’s Proposition 47 was a controversial ballot measure that downgraded drug and theft crimes from felonies to misdemeanors with the intent of keeping nonviolent offenders out of the state’s overcrowded prison systems. Fewer people in prison, the thinking went, meant a cost savings that could be redirected towards state services aimed at providing former inmates with the support they need to prevent them from reoffending.
Since the passage of the law in 2014, however, the controversy around it has only intensified as its effects become apparent. LP Magazine has even covered the retail-related issues surrounding Prop 47 a few times in the Insider.
Now, a coalition of retailers, prosecutors, and law enforcement has come together to form the California Public Safety Partnership. The group is sponsoring a new 2018 ballot initiative that would address some of the unintended consequences of Prop 47.
The December issue of LPM Online features a brand-new EyeOnLP podcast (sponsored by ALTO Alliance) that covers this critical topic from a number of perspectives. Expert guests on the podcast include:
- Aaron Moreno, senior director for government relations at the California Grocers Association
- Bill Williams, retired captain with the Los Angeles Police Department
- Loren Naiman, retired California attorney who most recently served in the Post Conviction Litigation and Discovery Division of the Office of the Los Angeles County District Attorney
- Karl Langhorst, CPP, CFI, executive vice president of ALTO US and vice president of Grupo ALTO