California Initiative to Reform Prop 47 Qualifies for November Election Ballot: Secretary of State

California’s Secretary of State, Shirley Weber, notified state elections officials on June 11 that a measure to reform Proposition 47 has qualified for the November ballot. Proposition 47, commonly referred to as Prop 47, was passed a decade ago by voters in California with the aim of reducing the state’s burgeoning prison population. The measure relaxed penalties for various drug and theft crimes in the state—such as drug possession and shoplifting—from felonies to misdemeanors while simultaneously increasing the threshold for felony theft charges to $950 from $450. However, a bipartisan effort spearheaded by the Californians for Safer Communities—a coalition of public safety leaders, advocacy groups, elected officials, and big and small businesses—is currently underway to change Prop 47 in November....