Press-Telegram: Another View: Vice Mayor Cindy Allen on supporting Prop. 36
Long Beach’s Vice Mayor and Second District City Councilmember argues in favor of Prop. 36. This article was originally published in the Press-Telegram By Vice Mayor and Second District City Councilmember Cindy Allen, contributing writer would like to take a moment to explain some of the reasons why I am voting in support of Proposition […]
Capitol Weekly: Prop. 36 transcends partisanship
This article was originally published in Capitol Weekly. By Matt Mahan OPINION – I am a Democrat because our party has championed the causes of working families, of racial justice, of immigrants aspiring to realize the American dream, of protecting the vulnerable and – when we are at our best – doing all of the […]
Politico Playbook: Nearly 200 Local Pols for Prop 36
This segment was originally published in Politico. A committee supporting Prop 36 started by San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho and Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen now has the backing of nearly 200 local elected officials, the committee will announce this morning. Mahan, Ho and Singh-Allen launched their own Yes on 36 effort last month, hoping to […]
Bloomberg: California Clampdown on Retail Theft, Drug Crimes Wins Backing of Over 70 Mayors
By Nadia Lopez and Eliyahu Kamisher (Bloomberg) — A California ballot measure to crack down on store theft and drug crimes is heading to the polls with support from big retailers, law enforcement groups, a crypto billionaire — and now, more than 70 mayors. Representing cities from Beverly Hills to Fresno, the mostly Democratic or non-partisan mayors bucked […]
San Diego Union Tribune Endorsement: Yes on Prop. 36: Time to free the detergent
This article was originally published in the San Diego Union Tribune The coming landslide win for Proposition 36 will be a triumph for truth over spin. The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board has long supported criminal justice reform. But in real time, we saw the obvious flaws of Proposition 47 — the November 2014 measure that Proposition 36 […]
Daily Bulletin & LA Daily News: Prop. 36 is a common sense solution to the suffering on our streets
By Matt Mahan and Traci Park With the explosion of fentanyl and other powerful opioids, drug overdoses have become the leading cause of death for Californians aged 15-44. Substance abuse disproportionately impacts California’s homeless population, which has grown nearly 60% over the last ten years, even as it has decreased in most other states. California has seen retail theft spike as accountability for non-violent […]
New York Times: How Fentanyl Drove a Tsunami of Death in America
By Maia SzalavitzGraphics by Sara Chodosh and Aileen Clarke Last year over 70,000 Americans died from taking drug mixtures that contained fentanyl or other synthetic opioids. The good news is that recent data suggests a decline in overdose deaths, the first significant drop in decades. But this is not a uniform trend across the nation. To understand this disparity, […]
San Diego Union Tribune Opinion: Passing Proposition 36 is far less costly than the alternative
This article was originally published in the San Diego Union Tribune By Todd Gloria and Matt Mahan California’s trio of public safety crises — homelessness, drug abuse and retail theft — represent a costly, unfolding epidemic of human suffering. Highly addictive and dangerous drugs like fentanyl have exploded in communities across California. Fatal overdoses have become the No. […]
Coastside News: Our communities shouldn’t be a “shopping mall” for thieves
By Matt Mahan and Ray Mueller This article was originally posted the Coastside News. The amount of retail crime in California is unacceptable – with the level of thefts nearly doubling since the passage of Proposition 47 a decade ago. The situation has gotten so bad in so much of the Bay Area, respected San Mateo District […]
投票支持36號提案 方能改善治安
聖荷西市長馬漢組織民選官員支持36號提案，在加州首府召開「安全常識，挺36號」發佈會上講話。 馬漢辦公室提供 本報記者王蔚矽谷報道 納入11月選舉選票的加州36號提案是對當年47號提案（Prop 47）修正的結果，矽谷地區民選官員和社區領導人提醒選民，勿忘投票支持36號提案通過。 2014年加州通過的47號提案，被包括華人在內的很多人視作「零元購」現象的禍源，造成社區安全危機，縱容犯罪和毒品氾濫。自2023年起，加州華人踴躍參加了修正47號提案的大規模簽名活動，旨在對47號提案法規中有關暴力犯罪的規定進行修改。2024年3月簽名獲得足夠人數得以將修正案寫入2024年大選選票，成為36號提案。 聖荷西市市長馬漢（Matt Mahan）是修正47號提案的支持者。他對本報表示，他擔任市長後，「選民每天都會攔住我，詢問市府正在採取哪些措施來解決日益惡化的毒品流行、零售盜竊激增以及無家可歸危機。對於灣區主要由移民擁有的小型零售企業來說，這個問題最為嚴重。」太多人因為社區變得不安全而關門歇業，或被迫提高價格以彌補屢次遭竊盜的成本。47號提案通過已經十年，「令人痛苦的是，成癮、無家可歸和零售犯罪等相互激化的問題已經演變成一場痛苦的風暴。」 他指出，當剝奪了法官懲治慣犯的權力時，給社會造成不成比例的負面影響，致命的藥物過量用藥激增，毒品法庭的案子直線下降。當那些被迫偷竊和交易以支持吸毒習慣的人不需要承擔的後果時，曾經繁榮的商業走廊零售盜竊案激增，工薪家庭被迫付出代價。「這不是共和黨或民主黨的問題， 這是每個人的問題。」36號提案為社區提供了拯救生命和小企業所需的工具，並為更多人帶來福祉。 他說，從全州無黨派公職人員對36號提案的壓倒性支持率可以清楚地看出，大多數加州人都贊成此法。「最近的民意調查顯示，36號提案是11月投票中最受歡迎的項目。」 古柏蒂奴市議員趙良方對本報說，36號提案這個版本得到了許多民主黨、共和黨的領導人及聖荷西、三藩市和聖地牙哥等主要城市市長的支持。但是，「州長紐森及女性選民聯盟仍然反對。」她提醒大家，很多人不知道36號提案就是對47號提案的修正，應鼓勵每個人在11月5日出來投票。 加州平等權益政治行動委員會（ERFA）副執行長Tony Guan表示，加州的「零元購」日益猖獗，導致許多小商戶不堪重負，紛紛關門停業，砸車窗盜竊事件更是司空見慣。該組織將聯合矽谷華人協會（SVCA）和「更好古柏蒂奴市」、加州安居聯盟等組織，將於9月29日下午1時30分在古市圖書館門前舉辦以「社區安全靠大家，投票終止零元購」為主題的活動。