By admin 
California voters loudly voiced their concerns about crime on Tuesday. Not only did they overwhelmingly approve one statewide ballot initiative they imposed additional penalties for drug crimes and shoplifting, but they fired several local officials seen as too soft on crime.
“That’s definitely a signal that times have changed,” said Nicole D. Porter, senior director of advocacy the Condemnation Projectsays of the ballot measure, which passed with 70 percent of the vote. “The atmosphere for reforms in 2024 is much more limited than in previous years.”
Both Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price were recalled by voters on Tuesday by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. Both were targeted by well-funded campaigns that criticized them for letting crime spiral out of control, though both could point to some statistical improvements within their overlapping jurisdictions.
District Attorney George Gascón, widely considered one of the country’s most progressive prosecutors, was ousted in a regular election in Los Angeles. His opponent, former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, promised a tougher approach to crime and defeated Gascón by more than 20 percentage points.
In San Francisco, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins easily won reelection against a more progressive challenger. Jenkins took on the role two years ago after voters remembered Chesa Boudinanother high-profile member of the progressive plaintiffs’ movement.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed trailed in the first round of voting against Daniel Lurie, heir to the Levi’s fortune. Lurie blamed Breed for the crime and the city’s high homelessness rate. San Francisco uses ranked choice, so the end result won’t be known for days.
Across the country in Florida, Andrew Warren failed to win back his job as Hillsborough County prosecutor. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis fired Warren from office two years ago, claiming he was not enforcing all the laws. DeSantis’ replacement choice, Suzy Lopez, won with a strong anti-crime message.
However, Monique Worrell succeeded in her comeback attempt. She was removed from her position as prosecutor in Orange and Osceola counties by DeSantis last year “for neglecting her duty to faithfully prosecute crime in her jurisdiction.”
This year, criminal justice reform advocates point to the district attorney race in Harris County, which includes Houston, as a bright spot. In March, Sean Teare dethroned Kim Ogg in the Democratic primary, who ran on a progressive platform. On Tuesday, however, Teare defeated Republican Dan Simons with less than 1 percent of the vote. “That tells us that our message didn’t resonate as much as we all thought and we need to figure out how to get our message across more clearly,” Teare said Tuesday night.