On November 21, 2024, S & L Gem Co. Jewelry at Roseville’s Westfield Galleria mall was the target of a shocking heist: Three masked individuals, armed with hammers and sledgehammers, smashed display cases and ran away with $1.5 million worth of jewelry.

Although six people have now been arrested, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to hold criminals accountable and address the underlying issues that drive such destructive behavior.

The Roseville incident is by no means the only crime that has hurt our community and businesses. Stories of retail theft and organized crime are widespread across California, forcing brick-and-mortar stores to put everyday items like toothpaste under lock and key.

Last year, state voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36 to hold repeat criminals accountable while encouraging essential drug treatment and mental health services for individuals who would otherwise go to jail.

Californians clearly understand the need for a meaningful reform program and are confident that we can do it. The overwhelming support for Prop. 36 is a mandate not just for tougher laws, but for more effective and more humane policies that foster lasting change.

Yet, the most significant hurdle standing in the way of Prop. 36’s success is funding — or, more accurately, the legislative majority and governor’s willingness to fund it.

Before the annual release of the governor’s budget, I sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom urging him to allocate sufficient funding for the implementation of Prop. 36 in the budget and voiced my concern at the Senate Budget Committee hearings last month.

Despite the overwhelming support for the proposition, the governor’s proposed budget did not contain funding for the implementation. Even though he opposed Prop. 36, when he was questioned in January at his budget proposal preview, the governor assured, “We are absolutely committed to implementing the terms that were established by the voters.”

The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office estimated that the proposition will increase state criminal justice costs by several tens of millions to the low hundreds of millions of dollars annually, but noted that this is less than 0.005% of the state’s total general fund budget. It is a modest investment. In return, California gets a transformative reform that could dramatically enhance public safety, reduce recidivism and help individuals build self-sufficiency by addressing repeat offenses and prioritizing rehabilitation.

Around this time last year, the governor recounted an incident at a Target store in Sacramento where he witnessed a shoplifter nonchalantly leave with an armload of stolen goods. Although this anecdote was shared by the governor in an informal setting during a discussion on his mental health initiative, it resonated widely as a powerful reminder of the public’s frustration. To many, it displayed the belief that, without decisive action and proper funding, crime will continue to undermine the safety and trust of our communities.

But the consequences of inaction go beyond just public frustration: As of right now, the burden of implementing Prop. 36 has solely fallen on law enforcement and local government who are working hard to address rising crime and drug addiction without the necessary resources.

Without proper funding, Prop. 36 is just words on paper. Californians demanded accountability for criminals, and Governor Newsom must deliver.

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