“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.”

“…it’s also true that low-margin mom-and-pop retailers and franchisees are the ones campaigning the hardest for the law.”

“[The measure] would create a new treatment-focused court process for repeat drug offenders…This gives judges and prosecutors useful leverage to push people into treatment who might otherwise resist. Proposition 47 had weakened those incentives.”

“Under current California law, fentanyl dealers face less jeopardy if they’re caught with a gun than those selling PCP, heroin, methamphetamine or cocaine with a gun. Closing that loophole is a no-brainer.”

“As for organized retail theft, it’s essential to go after the kingpins who are orchestrating large-scale shoplifting operations. Right now, there’s no additional time added to felony sentences for stealing more than $50,000 worth of property.”

“The nonpartisan state Legislative Analyst’s Office forecasts the ballot measure would increase California’s current prison population of 90,000 by only a few thousand. It’s a sign of both the measure’s popularity and the weakness of the arguments against it that the most prominent opponent, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), has stopped actively campaigning to vote it down, claiming that he has limited “bandwidth.”