Oxnard—The City Council, Tuesday, October 1, took no action on Proposition 36, which supports homelessness, drug addiction, and the Theft Reduction Act.
Voters will consider the bipartisan Proposition acknowledging that Proposition 47, which made California’s criminal justice system more equitable, also created unintended consequences over the past decade, repeat and often organized retail theft, inner-City store closings, and difficulty convincing people to seek drug and mental health treatment.
Deputy City Attorney Andrew Gonzales said Mayor Pro Tem Bryan MacDonald suggested Prop 36: the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act during the Tuesday, September 2 City Council meeting.
MacDonald said he heard a lot of information about Prop 36, and a lot of new information has come out, including a Public Policy Institute Committee (PPIC) report that raised issues he hadn’t considered.
“Like everyone else, I have concerns about shopping center takeovers and street takeovers, and I think we need to look at our system overall and see if we’re doing the right thing,” he said. “Initially, I thought Prop 36 would do that, but the Public Policy Institute report made reference to the Covid pandemic and brings up the idea that potentially, one of the societal ills we…
