Gavin Newsom recalls a year of arrests for shoplifting, car break-ins a week before the election.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday touted the results of an annual campaign against shoplifting across the country, an announcement that coincided with his staunch opposition to an anti-crime measure on the Nov. 5 ballot that he said would return California to an ineffective justice system. the past.

“About a year ago, we began the largest support of local law enforcement agencies ever in the state of California … related to retail theft,” Newsom said during a news conference Monday afternoon. “I want to show the results of this arrest.”

The $267-million grant helped 55 cities and counties across California reduce car theft and burglary. Newsom said those efforts have led to 3,200 arrests and the recovery of more than 3,000 stolen vehicles and $46 million in stolen property over the past nine months.

It’s not the first time Newsom has seen the state’s progress in combating property theft, but his announcement comes one week before the election, when California voters will decide the fate of Proposition 36. The ballot measure would impose tougher penalties for retail theft and crimes involving fentanyl.

That move would reverse parts of Proposition 47, the 2014 voter-approved criminal justice reform measure that reclassified certain property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. That reform has been slammed by critics who say there has been an increase in property crime and lawlessness after its passage, despite a recent think tank report that found little evidence to suggest that Proposition 47 is directly responsible for the uptick in property and drug crime over the decade. since.

Newsom and other Democrats warned voters to take a close look at Proposition 36, which they say would eliminate existing federal savings allocated to anti-recidivism programs and greatly increase the number of prisons.

But Californians don’t seem to be swayed by his objections. More than 70% of voters said they would vote for the measure, according to a recent poll published by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Meanwhile, the Yes on 36 campaign, sponsored by Walmart and other major retailers, launched a new television. advertisement this weekend including former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who recently announced he will run for governor in 2026.

Villaraigosa ran earlier unsuccessful request for governor in 2018 and failed to pass the first stage. He is the only current gubernatorial candidate who supports Proposition 36.

Villaraigosa made a cameo in a 31-second ad promoting Proposition 36 as a “balanced approach” to reducing crime.

One of Villaraigosa’s signature initiatives as mayor was increasing the number of officers in the Los Angeles Police Department to more than 10,000. He pointed out that that effort reduced violent crime by 48% during his tenure at City Hall.

Also featured in the Proposition 36 ad is Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper, who has been one of the measure’s most prominent supporters.

Newsom at a news conference Monday dismissed speculation that his administration might challenge Proposition 36 in court if voters pass it.

“We will do whatever the voters support,” Newsom said.