Congressman says Kamala Harris responsible for California prosecution decline

(The Center Square) - Congressman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, took to social media to blame Vice President Kamala Harris for changes in California prosecution policy via Proposition 47 and Proposition 57 that he says have led to increases in crime. Harris did not endorse either measure but was responsible for writing their titles and descriptions on the ballot, which Kiley says “decieve[d] voters.”

“Kamala Harris said that rape, human trafficking, and domestic violence are "non-violent" crimes. As [California] Attorney General, she made this claim on the ballot itself to deceive voters into releasing offenders from prison early,” said Kiley on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The architect of Prop. 47 credits Kamala Harris with helping it pass, saying her ballot description was "quite appreciated,” Kiley later posted.

As California Attorney General from 2011 to 2017, Harris was responsible for writing the descriptions of initiatives and referendums not placed on the ballot by the state legislature.

Proposition 47, passed by California voters in 2014 as “Criminal Sentences. Misdemeanor Penalties. Initiative Statute”, changed theft under $950 and drug possession from wobblers that could be either a misdemeanor or a felony into just a misdemeanor that many prosecutors’ offices do not have the bandwidth to pursue. Harris did not endorse Prop. 47

Prop. 57, passed by California voters in 2016 as the “California Parole for Non-Violent Criminals and Juvenile Court Trial Requirements Initiative,” increased parole and early release opportunities for a large number of crimes that the measure and its backers classified as “nonviolent,” which is any crime not classified directly as a violent crime.

However, there some crimes people may consider “violent” that are not listed in the state code as “violent,” that still entitled individuals to parole or early release, including rape by intoxication or of an unconscious victim, human trafficking involving sex with minors, drive-by shootings, arson, and lewd acts against children only 14 or 15 years old.

California crime has increased significantly since the pandemic, with violent crime in California continuing to rise as it declines in the rest of the nation.