10 Oct Pittsburg City Council Unofficially Supports Prop. 36

(Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

Pittsburg City Council members on Monday all said they support Prop. 36 — which would increase some crime penalties — but didn’t want to go so far as to formally support it as a council, citing concerns with singling certain ballot measures out and equity. 

City Manager Garrett Evans said several residents had asked about council members’ stances on the ballot measure, which, if passed, would increase sentences for some theft and drug crimes and turn some misdemeanors into felonies. 

The proposition would also require courts to warn people of a possible murder charge for selling or otherwise giving someone drugs like fentanyl and heroin if that person dies. 

Mayor Juan Banales, who was absent from Monday’s meeting, and Vice Mayor Jelani Killings previously threw in their support for Prop. 36 last month, noting community and law enforcement frustrations with retail theft. Banales and Killings are both running for reelection.

Council member Shanelle Scales-Preston, who also voiced her support for the proposition, said Monday that she understood those frustrations but warned against taking a formal position on this ballot measure and not others. 

“I caution us, as a council, to be careful going down a rabbit hole of props or measures that are on the ballot,” said Scales-Preston, who will be on the ballot herself as a candidate for county supervisor. “Are we going to bring those here to discuss how it might affect our community? And if so, that’s fine, but this is setting a precedent (of singling out certain ballot measures).”

Proposition 36 would roll back Proposition 47, which voters passed in 2014 and recategorized some non-violent felonies as misdemeanors, including shoplifting property priced less than $950 and certain drug possession offenses.  

Recent polls have shown that voters are likely to pass the proposition this November, with 60% of those polled saying they would support it, according to a late September poll by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. 

Support grew about 4% since an earlier August poll. 

Many nearby elected officials are aligned with those likely voters, including Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe and San Francisco Mayor London Breed — both of who are running for reelection and whose cities have made headlines for retail thefts.

Opponents of Prop. 36, which include the ACLU, say the ballot measure would contribute to mass incarceration, especially of marginalized communities. 

Council member Dionne Adams said her primary concern regarding Prop, 36 was ensuring that it was “being equitable and not targeting people of color” and “making sure it’s applied judiciously.” 

“I support it,” said Adams, “with the caveat of let’s do it right.” 

Council member Angelica Lopez says her thoughts on Prop. 36 are “more towards ‘yes on Prop. 36’ ” but said there were flaws within it. 

“The main one is, as a big mental health advocate and someone who has struggled with mental health throughout my life, I dislike the fact that mental health is always negatively connotated within these propositions,” she said. 

Lopez also shared concerns regarding mass incarceration. 

“Let’s make sure that we also protect families and create programs to help whatever youth they leave behind if they do go to prison,” said Lopez. 

The next Pittsburg City Council meeting is Oct. 21.