FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — California’s proposed state budget totals a staggering $356 billion, but some lawmakers and public safety leaders say the spending plan fails to provide enough funding for one of the state’s most widely supported criminal justice measures.
Nearly 70 percent of California voters approved Proposition 36, a ballot measure aimed at strengthening penalties for certain repeat theft and drug-related offenses. Supporters hoped the measure would help address rising concerns about crime and addiction while expanding opportunities for treatment and accountability.
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, prosecutors filed approximately 3,500 theft cases and 4,500 drug cases under Proposition 36 during its first 90 days in effect.
Despite those numbers, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco says the measure has yet to produce the results many voters expected. He argues that implementation efforts have been hampered by a lack of funding from the state.
“The governor and every single member of the assembly that is not dedicating or forcing money to be put to this should be embarrassed to even be in the positions that they are because they are completely allowing these people to suffer and die on the streets,” Bianco said.
Bianco says local agencies have yet to receive funding to help carry out the measure’s goals.
“We have not received any of it. I don’t know of anybody that’s received any funding for it,” he said.
Now, Bianco is joining the California District Attorneys Association and the Chief Probation Officers of California in calling for additional funding. The groups say the proposed state budget includes $50 million for Proposition 36 implementation, but they argue that amount falls far short of what is needed.
Supporters of the measure say additional investments are necessary to expand treatment programs, strengthen prosecution efforts, and provide the resources required to make the law effective.
When asked how much funding would be sufficient, Bianco acknowledged he has not determined a specific amount but emphasized that the current allocation is inadequate.
“I haven’t looked into it to see that, but we know that 50 million spread across the state is about $1 million,” he said.
Bianco warns that without additional state funding, Californians may not see the results they expected when they overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36 at the ballot box.