[guest post by JVW]

As the Democrats begin to panic about the possible repercussions of this coming election, Gavin Newsom has decided not to undermine a GOP-led effort to roll back the progressive crime enforcement measures which Newsom’s party has been championing the past decade. CalMatters has the story:

In a stunning, last-minute reversal, Gov. Gavin Newsom is scrapping the anti-crime measure he and Democratic legislative leaders just announced. It had been designed to compete with one backed by Republicans and prosecutors that is already headed for voters in November.

In a statement tonight, the governor said Democrats “are unable to meet the ballot deadline to secure necessary amendments to ensure this measure’s success and we will be withdrawing it from consideration.”

The proposed ballot measure from Democrats cleared the Assembly’s public safety committee on a party-line vote earlier today and had been scheduled for floor votes Wednesday night, just in time to get on the Nov. 5 ballot.

On Monday, Newsom, Senate leader Mike McGuire of Santa Rosa and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas of Salinas issued a joint statement arguing that their plan would improve public safety without returning to costly mass incarceration or the failed “war on drugs” that devastated communities of color.

The Democratic bill proposed less sweeping changes to Proposition 47, which was approved by voters in 2014 and which reduced certain property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, provided that the stolen goods aren’t worth more than $950.

Democrats are of course freaking out over the degree to which their lax on crime policies have turned much of urban California into an dystopian hellhole, with open drug-dealing, prostitution, organized theft, and civic disorder now defining large swaths of San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno, Los Angeles, San Diego, and other parts of this deep deep blue state. In this case it would seem that Democrats could not come to agreement on how to increase public safety without running afoul of their extreme left flank. So rather than further splitting the party on the issue, they will take their chances with defeating the proposal from the GOP, county prosecutors, and law enforcement which seeks to undo much of the enforced leniency that Democrats and the racial grievances crowd have unleashed upon the state’s criminal justice system.

In social media posts tonight, Senate GOP leader Brian Jones of San Diego and Assembly leader James Gallagher of Chico both credited public blowback to the 11th-hour move by Newsom and Democrats.

“Appreciation to everyone who contacted their representatives, signed our petition, & helped educate the public on the deceitful tactics deployed by the Governor,” Gallagher posted.

“After mounting opposition and brutal media hits, Gavin Newsom finally listened to our calls and dropped his soft-on-crime ballot measure that undermined our democracy,” Jones said.

Greg Totten, co-chairperson of Californians for Safer Communities, said in a statement tonight that the group is “pleased The Governor and Legislature have dropped their countermeasure and welcome them to join our campaign to responsibly amend Prop 47 to deal with retail theft, the fentanyl crisis and homelessness.”

For his part, the Greasy Governor Gavin is falling back upon his typical self-serving double-talk and lies, hoping that his adoring fans don’t look behind the curtain:

In his statement tonight, Newsom said he and other supporters “chose to introduce an alternative measure for Californians to consider that represented a balanced and comprehensive strategy that put public safety first without reverting to outdated and ineffective policies of decades past. It included stiff new penalties for repeat offenders, stricter measures to take down fentanyl dealers, and expanded access to drug treatment programs in our communities.”

But now that the Democratic measure is dead, Newsom said, he plans to soon sign “a robust public safety package that expands criminal penalties, bolsters police & prosecutor tools, and cracks down on retail theft — the most significant reform in decades.”

Whether or not it was intentional, the uncredited author of the article let slip exactly why Gavin Newsom is throwing in the towel at this point:

But before then, Newsom is headed to the White House, where he will join other Democratic governors on Wednesday to support President Joe Biden, staggering from the horrendous debate performance last week.

Gavin Newsom wants to be President, even more so now that he sees Joe Biden weakened and on the verge of being pushed out, and the last thing he wants at this moment is to be seen as pandering to the far left of his state’s party by further coddling the criminal element. My guess is that he will publicly suggest to Golden State voters that if they defeat the GOP crime initiative in November he in turn will push “sensible” and “fair” reforms through the legislature in next year’s legislative session. But if the GOP initiative passes, which at this point is a strong possibility, Gov. Newsom can just shrug his shoulders and tell the radicals in his party that he tried to thwart it, but that the voters have spoken. As usual, Gavin Newsom is playing this issue like the true weasel we know him to be.

– JVW