Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a package of laws he claims to be “the most significant legislation to address property crime in modern California history.” Embattled Californians might regard the measures as a delayed reaction to a primary cause of the crime hike.
The 2014 Proposition 47, titled the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act” by then-Attorney General Kamala Harris, made thefts of up to $950 a misdemeanor, but there was more to it. Harris’ summary failed to note that the measure restricted the collection of DNA from criminals, who took the measure as a license to steal. Cars became a primary target.
In 2015 and 2016, reported vehicle break-ins were up 21 percent and 27 percent, and in 2017, vehicle break-ins surpassed previous records, with a 24 percent increase above 2016 levels. The targets included the contents of vehicles, which in short order jumped from 16,000–17000 to 19,000–20,000, and…
