Oxnard—The Prop 36 story concludes this week with a comment by Mayor Pro Tem Bryan MacDonald, saying he’s seen store takeovers on TV where 50-100 young people on bicycles go into a convenience store and devastate the business.
Proposition 47 made California’s Criminal Justice System more equitable but 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.
The City Council took no action on Proposition 36, which supports homelessness, drug addiction, and the Theft Reduction Act.
“I’m presuming they’re young people and not old enough to drive; that’s why they’re riding bicycles, and the first question that comes to my mind is where are their parents and what are their parents saying about this,” MacDonald said. “I remember growing up in Santa Barbara, a friend of mine’s Dad, who happened to be a Police Officer, saw me walking home from elementary school one day and said I’ll give you a ride.”
He agreed and jumped in the back seat because there was too much stuff in the front seat.
“About a block from my house, I told him to let me…
