Proposition 36 qualified for the November ballot in California with over 900,000 signatures.
Simply put, this ballot initiative will reform aspects of Proposition 47 that in 2014 reclassified several “quality of life” crimes as misdemeanors instead of felonies. The most obvious was shoplifting — where the threshold for misdemeanor theft was raised to $950 per offense — and drug possession.
The impact of these changes was meant to reduce incarceration rates and create a more equitable response toward people of color who have been historically overrepresented in jails and prisons…