San Diego City Wire

Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R-San Diego) and Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) issued a statement today following the approval of several bills by California lawmakers aimed at targeting retail theft. The leaders criticized the legislation for not addressing Proposition 47, which they believe is a significant factor in the state's current crime wave.

“While the recent passage of a handful of bills aimed at addressing retail theft is encouraging, these measures still miss the mark by avoiding any reform to Prop 47,” said Leader Jones and Leader Gallagher. “Prop 47 has been a disaster, leading to rampant theft and crime across the state. Unfortunately, Democrat politicians are too prideful to admit their mistake with Prop 47, and therefore, they continue to deny the desperate need for reform."

They continued, "Republican lawmakers support progress, which is why we back the recent crime-fighting measures passed by the Legislature this week. However, our support does not waver our firm commitment to repealing Prop 47 at the ballot box. We urge the proponents of the ballot measure to withstand the pressure from Democrat politicians to withdraw the ballot measure and do what is right for our state. Voters deserve the chance to voice their opinions and fix our broken laws that protect criminals and deny justice to victims.”