Riverside County law enforcement officials praise passage of Proposition 36

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Law enforcement officials are praising voters for passing Proposition 36 by a wide margin on Election Day, which increases penalties for those convicted of certain theft and drug-related crimes.

The measure makes shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders and increases penalties for some drug charges, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

"The thing that's going to be different now after the passage of Proposition 36 is that someone with two prior thefts is going to be prosecuted as a felony," said Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin at a news conference in Riverside.

"Currently, under current law, someone with 100 prior thefts can only be charged with a misdemeanor."

The measure will also give judges the authority to order people with multiple drug charges to get treatment.

Some store owners are backing proposition on the November ballot that would make those type of crimes felonies.

"I think it sends a strong message that people are just fed up," said Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez. "You have business owners who are leaving our city. I hate hearing that, when they can't afford to replace the windows on their business because they just can't do it."

But the passage of Proposition 36 also presents law enforcement with a potential problem, especially for regions with overcrowded jail systems.

"My jail is full," said Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. "I am at capacity with my jail system, with the exception of my Indio jail where I have 385 inmates there, but it has a capacity of 1,600. My issue is funding."

Bianco said it would cost Riverside County approximately $50-$60 million annually to fully fund the Indio jail for full capacity. The sheriff said he would be requesting additional funding from the county Board of Supervisors, but whether that effort will be successful is unclear.

Bianco left open the idea of a future ballot measure to secure funding to adequately staff the jail, but that's a long way off.

"To be perfectly honest with you, as much as I'm against anything like that, it's almost a reality," he said.