VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — A boarded-up building on Santa Fe Ave. in Vista used to be a Vons grocery store, until June 2022. According to Vista Mayor John Franklin, that's when rampant shoplifting forced the store to close.
Now, San Diego County's District Attorney and more than a dozen mayors say a new ballot initiative can help cut down on this type of crime.
"This store closed, the management was very clear, because of the impact in shoplifting," Franklin says. "It's a predominantly minority, working-class community. Now it's become a food desert as far as grocery stores are concerned."
Franklin says it's a symptom of a surge in retail crime around the state over the past few years.
"We as a city, and as a state, weren't able to do enough to stop the shoplifting here," said Franklin.
Franklin joined the county's district attorney and other mayors this week to rally support for a new proposal called the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act.
"The primary crux of which is to make shoplifting a felony crime again," said Franklin. "When you steal for the third or fourth time, then felony penalties begin to mount. It's not for the individuals who are stealing a loaf of bread, or a mother stealing formula. In fact, we don't see too much of that."
The initiative targets Proposition 47. That's the measure voters passed 10 years ago that turned some felony crimes, like shoplifting under $950, into misdemeanors.
Supporters of Proposition 47 say it's a humane way to keep nonviolent offenders out of prison. But opponents, like Franklin, say it emboldens criminals.
"To steal day in and day out and not be charged with felony crimes, it's mind-boggling," said Franklin.
The new proposal also adds tougher penalties for selling hard drugs like fentanyl, and incentivizes people to enter drug or mental health treatment as an alternative to prison time.
The petition needs about 550,000 signatures by mid-April to make it on the Nov. ballot.
You can find the full text of the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act here.
