California Gov. Gavin Newsom is under growing fire from local officials, residents, and lawmakers in both parties for refusing to fully fund Proposition 36, a tough-on-crime law overwhelmingly passed by voters last year.
At a Thursday press conference, Newsom touted his decision to deploy additional California Highway Patrol officers to major cities, brushing off President Donald Trump’s claim that California needs the National Guard to restore order.
But as the Democrat governor praised his surge in policing, critics blasted him for stonewalling funding for Prop 36.
The measure, approved by 68% of California voters in November, toughens penalties for repeat drug offenders, lengthens sentences for certain property crimes, and overturns parts of Newsom’s own Proposition 47, which downgraded theft under $950 to a misdemeanor.
Newsom has opposed the law’s full implementation, warning it represents “mass incarceration, not mass treatment.”
His office argues that funding it would strip money from schools, housing, and mental health programs.
“The Governor is committed to operationalizing Prop 36,” his office said in a statement, pointing to limited funding included in the state budget.
Still, Newsom insists counties must foot more of the bill themselves.
That stance has infuriated local leaders.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told FOX11 the law is being implemented “much slower” than intended, warning:
“If the jails effectively have to be the treatment centers, they are not equipped fully to be proper treatment centers.”
“We will call him,” Hochman said, staring into the camera.
“We will send him social media. We will DM him.
“I’ll say it right to the camera: Governor Newsom, if you’re watching, get us this funding.
“If you want to save lives, get us this funding.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna and Interim Torrance Police Chief Robert Dunn echoed Hochman’s plea at a town hall Thursday night.
Hochman’s office has already filed more than 1,600 theft-related cases under Prop 36.
Critics say Newsom is defying the clear will of voters.
“Without the legal tools necessary to confront the challenges of repeat offenders, namely drug addicts and the crimes they commit, the crime suppression teams and the National Guard will face the same long-term problem that local police face — a game of criminal whack-a-mole,” said Steve Smith of the Pacific Research Institute.
Smith added: “Prop 36 was designed to provide police, prosecutors, and judges with the ability to charge and impose ‘treatment-mandated felonies,’ thus ensuring that addicts would get the rehabilitative treatment they need but will not seek or complete in out-of-custody settings.”
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have accused Newsom of ignoring voters while failing to back law enforcement.
Local business owners say his stance leaves them exposed to rampant shoplifting.
Newsom, meanwhile, has leaned on comparisons to Republican-led states with higher homicide rates, while California continues to suffer above-average violent crime and felony arrest rates.
State data show violent crime fell 6% in 2024 but remains 10.8% higher than pre-COVID levels.
President Trump has repeatedly pointed to California as an example of failed Democratic governance.
After deploying federal forces to Washington, D.C., in August, Trump suggested other cities could be next:
“Look at what the Democrats have done to San Francisco.
“They’ve destroyed it. We could clean that up, too.
“We’ll clean that one up, too.”
Newsom sued Trump in June over his deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles during violent pro-illegal immigration riots, accusing him of “de facto militarizing American cities.”
But Smith argued Newsom could avoid federal intervention by simply respecting the will of California voters.
“If Prop 36 had been funded, Governor Newsom would not be faced with the threat of National Guard deployment!” he said.
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