Good morning, Inequality Insights readers. I’m Wendy Fry.
Proposition 36, appearing on California’s 2024 ballot, would reclassify some retail theft and drug crimes as felonies after multiple convictions. It aims to reverse parts of Proposition 47, a 2014 law that reduced such offenses to misdemeanors in an effort to decrease prison overcrowding. Proponents have raised nearly $15 million – three times more than opponents – and 71% of likely voters support the measure, so it’s all but assured of passage in November.
But not everyone is enthusiastic about Prop 36. Attorneys who represent Californians in federal immigration court are warning that the measure could lead to more deportations, including of refugees and green card holders.
Prop 36 introduces a new category of crime, “treatment-mandated felonies,” where individuals can avoid incarceration by completing court-ordered drug treatment. Failure to complete the treatment could result in prison sentences for up to three years. For immigrants with prior convictions, this could mean a simple drug possession charge is bumped up in immigration court to an “aggravated felony.” And that could lead to deportation, with no chance at reentering the U.S., says Grisel Ruiz, a supervising attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. In a state where nearly half of all children have at least one immigrant parent, Prop. 36 could have life-altering effects on families and communities, she and other advocates said.
Supporters of Prop 36, including law enforcement and major retailers like Walmart and Target, argue that increased rates of shoplifting and property crimes directly result from Prop 47. They say the new ballot measure will help reduce those crimes and hold repeat offenders accountable. They also argue concerns about increased deportations are overblown. Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig described the “immigration argument” as a “red herring,” saying prosecutors already take steps to ensure immigrants don’t face unreasonable consequences for minor offenses. Read more about how Prop 36 could affect California immigrants in my latest story.
DON’T MISS
Immigrant workforce. Our former Divide colleague Nicole Foy has a deeply reported look at how the U.S. vilifies immigrant laborers even as our economy depends on them for essential work and skilled labor. Her first story for ProPublica explores how undocumented workers at a Houma, Louisiana shipyard face safety concerns and labor violations without a safety net. When one tragically died, his family got no compensation and had to raise money toward the cost of his funeral.
Immigrant rhetoric. Even as anti-immigrant rhetoric becomes more visible and extreme at a national level, Californians continue to express inclusionary views, according to a new survey from the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley and the Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights. Some of the key views expressed in the survey include the ideas that immigrants are central to the definition of the nation’s character, and that immigrants’ fundamental rights must be defended, irrespective of their migratory status.
College admissions. The Los Angeles Times reported on internal records showing how the University of Southern California admitted children of wealthy and well-connected potential donors through an alternative admissions path with an acceptance rate of up to 90%.
Fact check. The Yes and No on 33 campaigns have collectively spent more than $140 million. Prop 33 would repeal a state law that prevents local governments from controlling rent on single-family homes, homes built after 1995 (or earlier in some cases), and when tenants move out. CalMatters fact checked some of the more pervasive claims made by both sides.
Toxic inaction. In Oakland, where up to 83% of the rental housing may contain lead, millions of dollars have been allocated toward abatement of the toxic substance. But those funds have remained unspent for years, despite a dire crisis affecting Latino immigrant neighborhoods, an investigation from El Tímpano found.
Housing divide. Over the last decade, Asian Americans and Latinos experienced the largest homeownership rate gains across major demographic groups (4 percentage points.) The Black homeownership rate also increased but more modestly (2.5 percentage points). That’s according to a new analysis of California homeownership data by the Public Policy Institute of California.
Thanks for following our work on the California Divide team. While you’re here, please tell us what kinds of stories you’d love to read. Email us at inequalityinsights@calmatters.org.
Thanks for reading,
Wendy and the California Divide Team