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California Gov. Gavin Newsom seems to have received a political wake-up call. In a recent interview with Bill Maher, he admitted that many of California’s woes reflect “an indictment of liberal governance and leadership.”
His candor is striking, especially coming after a seismic shift in the Golden State: the resounding passage of Proposition 36.
As a principal architect and senior leader of the Prop 36 campaign, I helped craft this citizens’ ballot initiative, which won nearly 70% voter approval – sweeping every county, even deep-blue San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Frustrated Californians demanded tougher penalties for repeat thieves, fentanyl dealers and hard-drug offenders. Yet Newsom and Sacramento’s Democratic supermajority fought relentlessly to kill it. I witnessed their resistance firsthand.
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With decades as one of California’s longest-serving elected district attorneys and a former president of the California District Attorneys’ Association, I was ready for policy debates on crime. But nothing prepared me for the cynical tactics of those desperate to cling to power.
Privately, Newsom’s staff admitted they feared the high-profile measure would boost turnout among moderate and conservative voters in November 2024. Publicly, they smeared Prop 36 as a far-right throwback, dismissing its broad support from Democratic mayors across the state.
For years, California’s liberal leadership championed “progressive reforms” to decriminalize, decarcerate and dismantle a criminal justice system they branded racist and punitive. Accountability eroded, replaced by vague promises of safety through equity and compassion.
The results were disastrous. Drug-ravaged homeless encampments spread through our cities. Open drug use, needle-strewn streets, locked-down stores, shuttered businesses, and viral videos of smash-and-grab thefts became all too familiar.
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These aren’t mere “quality of life” issues or victimless crimes. Organized retail thieves plundering California’s store shelves often tie back to international criminal syndicates dealing in scams, guns, drugs and human trafficking.
Crime lords manage their portfolios like any investor, with store-robbing foot soldiers delivering steady, low-risk revenue at scale. Homeland Security investigations warn that stolen goods fuel money laundering, propping up the global black market. No surprise, then, that violent crime has steadily climbed. The public had seen enough.
Prop 36’s landslide victory in a state of nearly 40 million laid bare a gaping disconnect between California’s liberal elite and its voters on crime and safety. It was a mandate for common sense – a rejection of soft-on-crime policies that had gone too far.
That mandate, and the tools voters delivered, have empowered prosecutors like me to target repeat offenders and merchants of death selling fentanyl. It has also reinvigorated drug courts and mandated treatment for the chronically addicted. The electorate, wide awake, spoke with one voice, and many of us are listening.
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Will Newsom and his party listen? Early signs suggest otherwise. Reports indicate they’re reluctant to fully fund Prop 36’s implementation – a serious misstep. Voters want results, not rhetoric or stubborn loyalty to ideology. This isn’t about ideology; it’s about reality. Californians are fed up with stepping over needles, witnessing brazen theft, and fearing for their safety.
But it’s bigger than that. Prop 36’s success offers a roadmap for other states wrestling with the fallout of lenient crime policies. It proves that when leaders ignore the public’s commonsense demands, they risk waking a sleeping giant – and facing its wrath.
Newsom’s recent epiphany about his party’s failures is a start, but words ring hollow without action. If he and Sacramento’s Democrats dig in their heels, they’ll only widen the divide.
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As someone who battled Newsom’s machine to get Prop 36 on the ballot and secure its victory, I know what’s at stake. Californians didn’t just vote for tougher laws – they voted for accountability, deterrence and a return to sanity.
The question now is whether Newsom will heed this wake-up call or hit the snooze button. For the sake of our state – and perhaps our country – I hope it’s the former. The people have spoken. It’s time to listen.
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