Harris won’t say how she voted on California measure that would reverse criminal justice reforms

DETROIT (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday declined to say how she voted on a key ballot measure in her home state of California that would reverse criminal justice reforms approved in recent years.

Harris punted on a question about the ballot initiative in comments to reporters while campaigning in the battleground state of Michigan. She also confirmed, two days before Election Day, that her mail-in ballot was “on its way to California.”

“I am not going to talk about the vote on that. Because honestly it’s the Sunday before the election and I don’t intend to create an endorsement one way or another around it,” said Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and U.S. senator before she was elected vice president in 2020.

The initiative, if passed, would make the crime of shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders and increase penalties for some drug charges, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. It also would give judges the authority to order people with multiple drug charges to get treatment.

Proponents said the initiative is necessary to close loopholes in existing laws that have made it challenging for law enforcement to punish shoplifters and drug dealers.

Opponents, including Democratic state leaders and social justice groups, said the proposal would disproportionately imprison poor people and those with substance use issues rather than target ringleaders who hire large groups of people to steal goods for them to resell online.

California’s approach to crime is a central issue in this election cycle.

Beyond the ballot measure, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, is in a reelection fight against challengers who say she has allowed the city to spiral out of control. Meanwhile, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price faces a recall election, and Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón is running against a rival who has criticized the incumbent’s progressive approach to crime and punishment.

Crime data shows the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles saw a steady increase in shoplifting between 2021 and 2022, according to a study by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

Across the state, shoplifting rates rose during the same time period but were still lower than the pre0pandemic levels in 2019, while commercial burglaries and robberies have become more prevalent in urban counties, the study says.

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Madhani reported from Washington.

Darlene Superville And Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press