Mercury News: Prop 36 aims to force drug offenders into treatment. Would it help solve homelessness?
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has become one of the measure’s most vocal supporters By Ethan Varian San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan wants you to know that Proposition 36 is about more than just cracking down on retail crime. Mahan — one of the statewide ballot measure’s most vocal supporters — argues that passing the initiative to […]
PD Editorial: Prop. 36 promotes public safety
This article was originally published in the Press Democrat Editorials represent the views of The Press Democrat editorial board and The Press Democrat as an institution. The editorial board and the newsroom operate separately and independently of one another. Proposition 36 will provide a needed course correction for California. If approved by voters, it would provide […]
SF GATE: I’m a Democratic mayor. Here’s the reason I support California’s Prop. 36.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan shares the family history that is at the heart of his support for the crime policy proposal in this column By Matt Mahan It is fair to say that Californians have had enough. Our well-intentioned efforts to ease prison overcrowding have given way to skyrocketing drug overdose deaths, retail theft and homelessness. While some Sacramento […]
SF Standard: A mayor’s economic case for getting tougher on repeat offenders
By Matt Mahan San Jose mayor Matt Mahan argues the merits of Prop 36, which increases punishments for thefts and drug offenses. Sometimes, you have to wonder if politicians paid any attention in math class. That’s the feeling I get when I see Sacramento lawmakers suggest that a policy reform that will save billions of […]
Washington Post: California has a golden opportunity to recalibrate on crime
By the Washington Post Editorial Board If there’s any truth to the saying that the future happens first in California, then the potential passage of a ballot measure this fall could portend a tough but humane course correction in the nation’s approach to public safety. Ten years ago, California voters concerned about mass incarceration passed a […]
Santa Cruz Sentinel Guest Commentary: Facts show Proposition 36 will save money, protect small businesses, bring unhoused indoors
By: Matt Mahan This article was originally published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel In the final few weeks of election seasons, hyperbole is no substitute for facts. And when it comes to Proposition 36, voters deserve the facts on this common-sense safety measure. Prop. 36 reforms a 10-year-old law, called Proposition 47, which was enacted […]
Mercury News: New poll finds strong Bay Area support for Prop. 36 theft and drug crime ballot measure
This article was originally published in the Mercury News By Robert Salonga Proposition 36, a ballot measure that aims to toughen penalties for theft and take a harder line on drug crimes, particularly those involving fentanyl, has broad support across the Bay Area political spectrum, according to a new poll by the Bay Area News Group and Joint […]
San Jose Spotlight: Lopez: Prop. 36 saves lives and protects communities by requiring treatment for deadly addictions
As a 35-year veteran of law enforcement I know both the healing power of substance abuse treatment and the danger of releasing those from jail or prison whose untreated addictions drive them to hurt themselves and others with alarming regularity. California once used proven drug courts to require treatment for many involved in the criminal […]
SF Chronicle: How to deal with S.F.’s top retail theft hot spots? What store owners say about Prop 36
This article was originally posted in the San Francisco Chronicle By Rachel Swan, Danielle Echeverria Security guards rove the sidewalks near Powell and Ellis streets in San Francisco, an area known for its posh name-brand boutiques and cable cars — and, more recently, its struggles with retail theft. The guards add a uniformed presence, supplementing an already high concentration […]
LA Times: Californians broadly support Prop. 36 to get tough on crime, new poll finds
This article was originally published in the LA Times By Anabel Sosa A solid majority of likely California voters support Proposition 36, the November ballot measure that would impose stricter penalties for retail theft and crimes involving fentanyl, according to a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by The Times. Imposing harsher […]