California Democrats are trying to preserve Proposition 47, the 2014 ballot measure that eased penalties for theft and which is blamed today by many critics for a crime wave targeting retail stores in the state’s major cities.

Proposition 47 was sold to the public as “criminal justice reform,” but it did little to improve the state’s programs to rehabilitate criminals. Instead, it just changed some felonies to misdemeanors, including thefts under $950.

That, many Californians believe, created a strong incentive for criminal to commit petty theft, especially at retail stores, knowing that prosecutors would be unlikely to pursue charges or that any penalties would be minimal.

Earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) introduced a set of reforms aimed at reducing property crimes, but left Proposition 47 intact. Other legislators proposed reforms to Proposition 47, or suggested it simply be repealed.

However, as the Associated Press reports, most (not all) California Democrats — at Newsom’s direction — are defending Proposition 47, and attempting to focus their legislative efforts on other policy changes:

Following Newsom’s directions, Democratic leaders in both chambers at the Capitol also have shut down calls to repeal the measure [Proposition 47]. Last month, the state’s new Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, with bipartisan support, introduced a package of legislation that would target auto thefts and large-scale resell schemes and expand diversion programs such as drug courts and treatment services. Online marketplaces also would be required to crack down on users reselling stolen goods on their platforms under the proposal.

…

But some Democratic lawmakers said those efforts won’t be enough to make a difference. Assemblymember James Ramos, who authored bipartisan legislation to increase penalties for repeat shoplifters, said many lawmakers want to see “the pendulum swing back to the middle.” The bill would require voters’ approval.

“Prop. 47 needs to have some type of resetting,” Ramos said. “We have the opportunity now to start that dialogue.”

Earlier this year, Newsom expressed shock when a clerk at a Target store blamed him for the shoplifting problem.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.