Harris won’t say how she voted on a California measure that would roll back criminal justice reforms

DETROIT – Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday would not say how she voted on a a key voting measure in her home state of California, which would reverse criminal justice reforms approved in recent years.

Harris addressed the question about the ballot initiative in comments to reporters while campaigning in battleground Michigan. She also confirmed two days before Election Day that her absentee ballot was “on its way to California.”

“I will not talk about voting on this matter. Because honestly, it’s the Sunday before the election and I have no intention of building support around it one way or another,” said Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and U.S. senator, before she was elected vice president in 2020.

If passed, the initiative would make the crime of shoplifting a misdemeanor for repeat offenders and increase penalties for some drug-related charges, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. It would also give judges the power to order people with multiple drug charges to undergo treatment.

Supporters said the initiative is necessary to close loopholes in existing laws that make it difficult for law enforcement to punish shoplifters and drug dealers.

Opponents, including Democratic state leaders and social justice groups, said the proposal would disproportionately incarcerate poor people and those with substance use problems rather than targeting leaders who employ large groups of people to steal goods they could resell online.

California’s approach to crime is a major issue in this election cycle.

Beyond the vote, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, is battling for re-election against challengers who say she has allowed the city to spin out of control. Meanwhile, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price faces recall and the Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón he is running against a rival who has criticized the incumbent president’s progressive approach to crime and punishment.

Crime data shows the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles saw a steady increase in shoplifting from 2021 to 2022, according to a study by the nonpartisan California Public Policy Institute.

The study found that statewide, shoplifting rates increased over the same period but were still lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2019, while commercial burglaries and robberies became more common in urban counties.

___

Madhani reported from Washington.