Drive-thru petition nets thousands of signatures

Thousands of Placer residents lined up at the Roseville Automall for News Radio KFBK's "large-scale" petition effort, said Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire, to change Proposition 47. Gire volunteered during the event and helped collect signatures from thousands of residents who passed through. Gire said by the end of the day, that number may have been 10,000, and the goal of 1 million signatures by the end of the initiative looked promising. "This is something the average citizen and voter should be able to debate and decide whether or not it's something that would help the state," Gire said. Prop. 47, known as the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, was passed in November 2014 to focus prison spending on "violent and serious offenses, maximize alternatives for nonserious, nonviolent crime, and invest the savings generated from the new act to support elementary and high school programs, victim's services, and mental health and drug treatment," according to retired Placer County Superior Court Judge J. Richard Couzens in a document. Prop. 47 reduced drug possession offenses and thefts of property under $950 to misdemeanors, created a process for people currently serving or have already completed felony time in prison to be able to petition the court for resentencing as a misdemeanor, created a process for people who have completed felony sentences and formed a Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund funded by "the savings achieved by the change in the sentencing laws." However, some argue the proposition decreased the accountability of felony offenders. Thus, some suggest reforming Prop. 47. The petition is not repealing Prop. 47, only "making some measured changes to the provisions that were the most problematic and have had the worst effects on our state," Gire said. Changes to the proposition, if passed, would include: Reclassifying theft with two or more prior convictions as a jail-eligible felony. Adding new laws addressing smash-and-grab thefts and thefts committed by multiple thieves acting together resulting in significant losses. Allowing aggregation of amounts stolen in multiple thefts to reach the $950 threshold. Adding fentanyl to the list of hard drugs resulting in felony prison time for drug dealers when in possession of large quantities or firearms. Providing addiction and mental health services for treatment-mandated felony charges. According to Gire, Prop. 47 "ultimately had unintended consequences that has been affecting our state and our ability to hold criminals accountable." These include no additional consequences for repeat theft and drug offenses. "Currently under Prop 47, it doesn't matter how many times you steal if you steal under $950, so we have people who steal over and over again amounts under $950, and there's no additional consequences for doing it over and over again," Gire said. "Additionally, it reduced consequences for drug possessions, which means when we try, we try to get them into drug court or into treatment and there's no consequences if they don't go. … This measure will try and require those people that have multiple drug possession arrests and convictions to get them into required treatment." Gire said the changes proposed would target homeless and addiction problems in the state by ending the "cycle" of those who steal to buy drugs or sell drugs to feed their drug addiction. Said Gire, "This tries to put a stop in every aspect of that cycle of crime. Those that need help will be able to get the help they need and those that need to be held accountable will face that accountability." Prop. 47 also has an impact on Placer County's current fentanyl crisis. In addition to Gire's attendance, Chris Didier, father to Whitney High School graduate Zachary Didier, who passed away from a fentanyl poisoning 2020, also volunteered and helped collect signatures. He donned a button with an image of his late son. "This has a distinct impact on our fentanyl crisis, specifically, advising those who are prosecuted for selling and possessing fentanyl," Gire said. "It also increases the consequences for those who are possessing and selling fentanyl while they're armed with guns, which is currently a gap in the law. So, from a pure fentanyl perspective, it gives us more tools."