Early voting begins next week, and the Chamber urges the business community and the community in general to join us in opposing Proposition A.
Prop A is several provisions packaged as a single City Charter amendment. Our opposition stems from just those that prevent police from arresting thieves, burglars, and vandals. The ballot language for Prop A includes provisions “Requiring officers to issue citations instead of making arrests for:
- “… theft of property less than $750.”
- “… theft of services less than $750.”
- “… graffiti, with damages less than $2,500.”
- “… criminal mischief with damages less than $750.”
Additionally, certain simple assault and family violence charges will also fall under the cite and release expansion Prop A mandates.
Not arresting people for stealing up to $750 in merchandise and property will simply invite shoplifters and criminals to steal more often. San Francisco, Portland, and other cities have stopped arresting people for robbery and vandalism and have seen disastrous consequences, including huge increases in crime and a significantly lower quality of life for working citizens.
The proponents of Prop A packaged too many unrelated issues in a single measure. We encourage you to vote AGAINST Prop A and send them back to the drawing board to create separate propositions for each of the unrelated elements.
We are asking you to do two very important things:
- Vote AGAINST Prop A.
- Talk to your family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues and encourage them to vote AGAINST Prop A too. This is a close election and every vote matters.
For more information, please visit SASafe.org.