One of Rudy Giuliani’s major objectives as mayor of New York City in 1994 was to stop murder. This meant all violence, not just those that capture stories but those at the pyramid’s center. He , stated , at the time:  ,” Evidently murder and painting are two significantly different acts. But they are part of the exact range, and a culture that tolerates one is more likely to bear the another” . ,
The , theory , behind Giuliani’s approach was n’t novel. The concept, which was dubbed the “broken windows” view, was essentially more resources and arrests than Giuliani had suggested. According to a NBER , paper , on Giuliani’s methods:” the police force in New York City grew by 35 percent in the 1990s, the numbers of prison inmates rose 24 percent” . ,
According to the report, punishment had a greater impact than a growing business. For New Yorkers, the , results  , spoke for themselves:” Between 1990 and 1999, homicide dropped 73 percent, burglary 66 percent, assault 40 percent, robbery 67 percent, and vehicle hoists 73 percent” . ,
California Dreamin’
The other side of the country, however, presents a very different tale. During Kamala Harris ‘ tenure ( 2011-2017 ) as state attorney general, California decided to break its own windows.  ,
One of the owners of California’s origin into myth has been the then infamous , Proposition 47. On 2014 ‘s , ballot, it promised a win-win by “requir]ing ] misdemeanor sentence instead of felony for certain drug and property offenses”. However, it posed significant budget savings, “potentially in the high hundreds of millions of dollars annually,” and it would n’t apply to those” with prior conviction for serious or violent crime and registered sex offenders.” These” benefits would be spent on school absenteeism and student prevention, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and target service”.
If the ballot language sounded like a win-win, it paled compared to what it was  , dubbed:” The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act”. A study by Human Impact Partners , stated:” A Health Impact Assessment of reforms proposed by a state ballot initiative predicts the changes would reduce crime, recidivism, racial inequities in sentencing, and save the state and its counties$ 600 million to$ 900 million a year— but only if treatment and rehabilitation programs are fully funded and implemented properly”.
Curiously, despite her title and the proposition’s direct effects within her purview, Harris did n’t take a public position on the legislation— but she was  , responsible , for writing its title and summary. Harris would hardly ever leave her bailiwick while serving as attorney general, which would be another time.  ,
With so much leftward wind billowing in its sails, Proposition 47 , passed , 59-41 percent. The now-infamous$ 950 threshold for shoplifting was established, and some nonviolent property and drug crimes were retroactively classified as misdemeanors.
California Crime
Fast-forward a decade, and things have n’t panned out as predicted. Like California’s windows, Proposition 47’s promises were made to be broken. A 2023 Pacific Research Institute report , summarized , Proposition 47 as a desire to “reduce crime and rates of incarceration”. Unfortunately, the recidivism rates for the Prop 47 cohort of offenders have not improved and have actually worsened, as with all other attempts to have cake and eat it too.
Specifically,” Nearly 3/4 of all Prop 47 thieves and drug dealers are re-arrested. Prior to Prop 47’s passage, roughly the same number of people were detained, and they regularly reoffend. Worse, this has been occurring for 9 years”.
In San Francisco, the seeming epicenter of California’s meltdown, an August 2023 report by Grow SF , states:  ,
Prop 47’s implementation in San Francisco yields three desirable outcomes.
However, Proposition 47’s far-left supporters have kept trying to keep it despite the negative effects. When Republicans crafted legislation to repeal it, Democrats tried to buy them off with legislative , language , that would have scaled back Proposition 47 but avoided putting full repeal on the ballot.  ,
Once repeal was cleared for this November’s ballot, Democrats tried to undercut it with milquetoast , changes , to draw away support and keep Proposition 47 on the books. Both efforts failed.
Say No to Californication
This November in America, our 47th , president will be determined. Simultaneously, in California, Proposition 47’s fate will be determined ( by Proposition 36 ). On the national ballot, Kamala Harris will be there directly. In California, Kamala Harris will be there indirectly — because while she was California’s attorney general, her office was  , responsible , for writing Proposition 47’s title and “favorable description” that assuredly aided its 2014 passage.  ,  ,
Beyond the negative consequences of Proposition 47’s aftermath, one thing was left out of the summary: DNA samples from those who committed crimes whose severity had been reduced. As The , Sacramento Bee , editorialized,  , just” three months after voters approved the initiative that reduced drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors”, DNA samples had fallen by two-thirds ( from 15, 000 per month to 5, 000 ). These samples are analyzed to see if they match those taken from more serious crime scenes. Less chance of solving more serious crimes is attributed to the smaller sample sizes used to solve lesser-known crimes.  ,
The , Sacramento Bee ‘s , editorial , concluded , that if Harris knew the drop in DNA samples was a byproduct, her summary should have said so. And” ]i ] f she was n’t aware of the DNA issue, she was not doing her job”.
As , Politico , recently , wrote , regarding the overlap of Kamala Harris ‘ tenure as attorney general and California’s relaxing of its law enforcement under the guise of “reform”:” In the years that followed, California voters were presented with a series of proposals to break from decades of tough-on-crime policies by relaxing penalties for nonviolent and drug-related offenses while facilitating prisoners ‘ early release. Harris refused to comment on those measures even as she cast a ballot with them during her reelection campaign.
However, there is a larger question than simply,” Where was Kamala Harris”? Why was n’t Harris leading the charge to reverse these misguided reforms in the face of “reform’s” failure and based on her experience as an attorney general and then as a senator from California?  ,
The Beach Boys sang that all girls” could be California girls” in the 1960s. Six decades later, America’s far left wants all of the country to be California’s world. The world that would exist in a stark reminder of Proposition 47. Kamala Harris should also remind us of how California got to where it is, how she got there, and how she did n’t get it out.
J. T. Young held the positions of director of government relations for a Fortune 20 company between 2004 and 2004 while working in the House and Senate between 1987 and 2000.
