...The governor’s Department of Finance is charged with calculating the state savings from Proposition 47. The governor will likely provide an initial estimate of the savings for the current budget year as part of his proposed budget, with a final calculation due by July 31. The independent, nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office has already weighed in, projecting annual state savings in the range of $100 million to $200 million, but the governor will have the last word on the actual calculation.
Reallocating dollars from prisons to local programs is critical to creating and maintaining strong, safe and healthy communities. Local prevention, treatment and rehabilitation programs – the keys to stopping cycles of crime without relying on costly state prisons – have been underfunded for decades. So, California has much ground to make up.
Proposition 47 builds on other important reforms, especially 2011’s “realignment,” which transferred certain public safety responsibilities – along with a dedicated source of funding – from the state to the counties, and the expansion of Medi-Cal, which increased access to drug and mental health treatment, interventions that can help break the cycle of crime. Like these reforms, Proposition 47 presents an opportunity to invest in the very strategies that local communities need to improve public safety and stop the flow of people into state prison.
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