Even with statewide support, Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen ineffective in generating support for Prop. 36 among Democratic elected officials
With the exception of Democrat Lisa Kaplan, no member of the all-Democratic Sacramento City Council, including Mayor Darrell Steinberg, is included in the supporter list.
Proposition 36 is one of 10 statewide propositions facing California voters this year. The supporters of Proposition 36, led by San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho, and Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen, seek to roll back sentencing reforms of 2014's Proposition 47.
In its simplest form, it would reclassify several misdemeanor drug and theft offenses to felonies. Supporters argue that reclassification is needed to address increased retail theft and to address homelessness.
Opponents, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, argue the issues were addressed during the recently concluded legislative session, and it would increase state prison incarceration and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. While Newsom opposes 36, he said he would not campaign against the measure.
From a political perspective, moderate Democrats, such as Mahan, Ho, and Singh-Allen, are pushing for the change. However, Singh-Allen has garnered scant support among Democratic elected officials in the Sacramento region.
Democratic Elk Grove City Council members Rod Brewer, Sergio Robles, and Darren Suen have followed Singh-Allen's lead and endorsed the proposition. Other prominent Sacramento area Democrats supporting 36 included Rep. Ami Bera and Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper.
Interestingly, Bera is the only Democrat from California's Democratic congressional caucus supporting the proposition. Democratic Rep Doris Matsui is not listed.
While most of Elk Grove's city council have endorsed the proposition, Republican City Councilmember Kevin Speae is not listed as a supporter. Also, none of the Democratic Elk Grove Unified School District Trustees, including Nancy Chaires-Espinoza, Gina Jamerson, and Michael Vargas, have added their names to the supporters list.
With the exception of Democrat Lisa Kaplan, no member of the all-Democratic Sacramento City Council, including Mayor Darrell Steinberg, is included in the supporter list. Sacramento Mayoral candidates Dr. Flo Cofer and California Assemblymember Kevin McCarty have not lent their names either, and none of the five Sacramento County Supervisors, including Democrats Patrick Kennedy and Phil Serna, are included as supporters.
Elk Grove's representatives in the state legislature, Democrats Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen and Senator Angelique Ashby, are not listed as supporters.
While California continues to be a Democratic-dominated state, polling released yesterday shows significant support among voters for the law enforcement-influenced proposition. Polling shows the support for 36 at 58 percent of likely voters.
