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ELSEWHERE: 

• Prop. 36 in the CalMatters voter guide.

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Today at noon at the Eureka Gazebo, Sheriff William Honsal and District Attorney Stacey Eads led a rally in support of Proposition 36, a measure on the Nov. 5 ballot that would enact stiffer penalties for some crimes.

In particular, it would partially repeal Proposition 47, a criminal justice reform initiative passed by the voters in 2014, by mandating that several misdemeanors related to drugs and theft be reclassified as felonies. It would also allow certain of those felonies to be addressed through treatment, rather than imprisonment.

Honsal, who opened the event, said that Proposition 36 would give law enforcement much-needed tools to turn people with addiction problems toward rehabilitation, while at the same time allowing officers to crack down harder on thievery — one of the ways addicts find money to pay for drugs.

“There really is no current incentive for individuals who are arrested for minor drug offenses to receive mandatory drug treatment,” Honsal said. “Individuals opt out of seeking treatment because there’s no accountability, and there’s no consequences. This must change, and with the passage of Prop. 36 this will change.”

Honsal and Eads were joined by Supervisors Rex Bohn, Michelle Bushnell and Steve Madrone. Several local police chiefs were in attendance. Kevin Jenkins, owner of McKinleyville Ace Hardware store, spoke about how brazen shoplifting is affecting his business, his employees and his customers. And Frank Falcone of Redwood Teen Challenge talked about how he escaped addiction with the help of the law.

District Attorney Eads gave the crowd a thorough overview of what laws Proposition 36 would overhaul, and told stories of cases here in Humboldt County where it would have been useful. She spoke of a major fentanyl dealer — a repeat offender — who could only be sentenced to a small amount of time in the local jail, along with a period of house arrest. She talked about a particular retail theft suspect who was arrested three days in a row on the same charge.

Prop. 36 would give her the tools to give those people serious time, she said.

“If you decide to vote no on Prop. 36, then you’re deciding that you’re okay with the status quo,” she said. “So, you’re okay with this individual repeatedly stealing from our businesses. You’re okay with hardened drug dealers coming to Humboldt County with large quantities of drugs to put out on our streets. You’re okay with a fentanyl dealer walking around with a loaded firearm. That’s what’s a no vote on Prop. 36 means.”

Jenkins talked about the the rising incidence of theft he’s seen at his hardware store, telling about two particular cases he said occurred just within the last week. In one case, he said, a woman carefully stole just under $950 in new tools — the limit between a misdemeanor and a felony — and in another, a man stole a whole rack of pants. Because of the way the law is written write now, neither the police or prosecutors can do much to slow down such crimes, he said.

“That stuff will show up on Facebook Marketplace within a few days,” Jenkins said. “There’s a system, there’s an under-economy … So we’re all paying for it. We’re paying for it as a person that’s never touched drugs in their life. And I’ve come to the realization, the painful realization that the people that are doing the stealing, they’re not stealing because they enjoy it. They’re not stealing because they’re trying to provide a higher quality lifestyle for their family. They’re feeding their addiction.”

Falcone, who described himself as a 20-year meth addict, talked about his path to recovery, which started with an overdue visit to a probation officer. That initial step, he said, put him on a path to treatment.

“I started taking responsibility and saying, hey, those are the choices that I made,” Falcone said.  “And I think this Proposition 36 is really going to help to get the people help that they need. They need a program for a while, not just a 30 days or 60 days where they could just leave and get a free meal, but the right tools that they need to be successful in life.”

Like Jenkins, Supervisor Michelle Bushnell — owner of the Boot Leg in downtown Garberville — had stories to tell about retail theft, but she spent more of time talking about how addiction had touched her own family. Though he has several years clean, a close family member suffered from alcoholism, racking up five DUIs and nearly killing himself in a car crash before finally getting sober. All the time, she said, she begged law enforcement to take him in, so that he might have a chance to write a different future for himself.

“I beg people to please vote yes on Prop. 36,” she said. “Think about your future generations and the people that need help. Sometimes they’re not capable to ask for it.”

“This revolving door issue, the way that works … we’ve got to put an end to that,” said Supervisor Steve Madrone, referring both to thieves of the type that Jenkins referred to and people with serious drug rap sheets. “It’s just crazy to have people in and out, in and out. And there’s no repercussions that seem to actually change that behavior.”

Madrone brought the pep to the rally. 

“What are we votin’ on?” he asked. “Yes on what?”

“36!”

“36! That’s right! It’s gonna help us.”

“I appreciate the sheriff, our district attorney and especially the chiefs that could be here today that are supporting [Prop. 36], because I’ll tell you what … if they say we need it, that’s who we call … to be safe,” said Supervisor Rex Bohn, chair of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. “So let’s give them the tools to do it.”