Democratic mayors endorse crime crackdown
Tomo Chien
February 09, 2024
Good morning. It’s Friday, and I’ll be rooting for my hometown Niners this weekend. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
The Democratic mayors of San Francisco and San Jose endorsed a ballot measure that would crack down on crime and drugs. If approved, the measure would roll back parts of Proposition 47, which in 2014 raised the threshold to prosecute shoplifters and lowered penalties for drug possession, among other criminal justice reforms. Prop 47 was approved by nearly 60% of voters in its day — but times are changing. The support of two prominent Democratic mayors reflects a growing desire to tamp down on the state’s image as the home of runaway crime and drug use.
2.
Caltrans said it wants to ban flammable materials in lots under freeway overpasses and vet tenants for prior lease violations, an effort to remedy the regulatory failures that led to the fire that shut down the Interstate 10 for a week in November. The agency, which manages the state highway system, also suggested requiring that leases define what materials are allowed in a given lot and how they must be stored. It’ll be up to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office to approve the recommendations.
3.
A California bill could ban plastic bags from grocery stores entirely. In 2014, the state banned the formerly ubiquitous thin plastic bags from stores but allowed for the thicker plastic versions that are, in theory, reusable and recyclable. The reality is that very few people reuse or recycle those bags. One study found that the average person trashed around 8 pounds of plastic bags per year in 2004, compared to 11 pounds in 2021. Of note: Newsom, who must sign off on the law if passed in the Legislature, signed the nation’s first plastic bag ban in 2007 as mayor of San Francisco.
4.
USC is opening a $59 million public policy institute at its Washington, D.C. campus, a dramatic expansion of its East Coast footprint. The institute will offer evidence-based research that’ll help inform public and private policy decisions and offer students a chance to earn firsthand experience in the nation’s capital, the university said. When it opens in July, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Institute will be the first major research and education institute housed at the university’s new D.C. campus.
5.
When the San Francisco 49ers take to the Super Bowl this weekend, they’ll be cheered on by an unexpected fanbase: the Trumpy, MAGA, far-right conspiracy legions. Wait, but isn’t San Francisco the shit-stained, liberal failure, fentanyl capital of the world? Well still yes, according to them, but this time they’ve managed to perplex themselves — and, frankly, everybody else — by dropping their vendetta and rooting for the Niners because they believe that Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, are somehow in cahoots with the NFL and the Democratic Party to win Joe Biden the election. Good for them. Stick it to the man!