California Can Thank Kamala Harris For Its Crime Problem

When Rudy Giuliani took the reins as mayor of New York City in 1994, he had a clear and unwavering mission: to reduce crime in all its forms. Giuliani understood that crime doesn’t just exist at the top of a pyramid; it festers and grows from the base. He famously stated, “Obviously murder and graffiti are two vastly different crimes. But they are part of the same continuum, and a climate that tolerates one is more likely to tolerate the other.” This wasn’t just rhetoric; it was the foundation of his administration’s approach to policing, known as the “broken windows” theory. Giuliani knew that when you allow minor crimes to go unchecked, you create an environment ripe for more serious offenses.

And guess what? It worked. Under Giuliani, New York City’s police force grew by 35 percent in the 1990s, and the prison population increased by 24 percent. The result? A dramatic drop in crime. Between 1990 and 1999, homicides fell by 73 percent, burglaries by 66 percent, assaults by 40 percent, and vehicle thefts by 73 percent. New Yorkers didn’t just feel safer; they were safer. The message was clear: crime, in any form, would not be tolerated.

But while New York was cracking down on crime, California was going in the opposite direction, embracing policies that have led to the dystopian nightmare we see today. At the heart of this disaster is Proposition 47, a 2014 ballot initiative that was sold to Californians as a way to make neighborhoods safer by reducing certain nonviolent crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. The initiative promised big savings — potentially hundreds of millions of dollars annually — by cutting down on prison populations and funneling the money into mental health services, school programs, and victim services. It was a win-win, right?

Wrong.

Proposition 47 has been a catastrophe. Instead of reducing crime and saving money, it has fueled a surge in criminal activity. According to a 2023 report by the Pacific Research Institute, nearly 75 percent of Prop 47 offenders are re-arrested, and they reoffend at a higher rate than those who served time in state prison before the proposition’s passage. The promises made by Prop 47’s backers were nothing more than empty words, and Californians are paying the price.

In San Francisco, the epicenter of California’s decline, the effects of Prop 47 have been devastating. Overdose deaths have skyrocketed, shoplifting has become endemic, and serial shoplifters now operate with impunity, knowing that their crimes are no longer considered felonies. The very fabric of society is unraveling, and it’s not hard to see why: when you tell criminals that their actions won’t have serious consequences, you’re inviting chaos.

Yet, despite the clear and present danger that Prop 47 represents, its far-left advocates are fighting tooth and nail to keep it on the books. When Republicans tried to repeal the law, Democrats offered watered-down compromises to avoid a full repeal. When those efforts failed, they attempted to sabotage the repeal by offering minor changes to draw away support. It’s a cynical game, and the people of California are the pawns.

And where was Kamala Harris during all of this? As California’s attorney general from 2011 to 2017, Harris was responsible for writing the title and summary of Proposition 47. She could have taken a stand against this dangerous measure, but instead, she remained silent. Harris’s failure to lead on this issue is just one example of her tendency to disappear when leadership is most needed. Her office didn’t even warn voters about one of Prop 47’s most damaging consequences: a sharp drop in DNA samples collected from offenders. These samples are crucial for solving serious crimes, yet after Prop 47, the number of samples fell by two-thirds. If Harris knew this would happen, she failed to warn the public. If she didn’t know, then she wasn’t doing her job.

As we approach the 2024 presidential election, it’s important to remember the role Kamala Harris played in California’s descent into chaos. Proposition 47 is a stark reminder of what happens when progressive fantasies meet reality. The far left wants to take California’s failed experiment and impose it on the rest of the country. But make no mistake: the “Californication” of America would be a disaster for everyone.

In 1965, the Beach Boys sang about wishing all girls could be “California girls.” Today, the far left wants all of America to look like California — a state where crime runs rampant, the streets are littered with needles, and the rule of law has been replaced by the rule of mob. Kamala Harris may not be responsible for every bad decision California has made, but she has certainly played a role in the state’s downfall. And if we’re not careful, she could play a role in America’s downfall too.