New Study Suggests California Voters Regret Passing Prop 47

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Nearly 80 percent of Californians believe crime is out of control.

A study asked a series of questions about crime, including Prop 47, which was passed in 2014 and doubled the amount a criminal could steal before facing felony charges from $400 to $950.

With more smash and grabs going viral and retail crime on the rise, the new UC Berkeley poll asked Californians if they supported getting rid of Prop 47.

Nearly 60 percent said they'd like to get rid of it.

State lawmakers have introduced two bills to either amend or repeal Prop 47. Assemblyman Rudy Salas, a Democrat, wants to lower the amount that triggers a felony to $400, but Republican Kevin Kiley wants to repeal the law altogether.

But what does it take for the Legislature to alter or eliminate a proposition passed by voters?

In order to repeal a law that has been passed, voters need to place another initiative on the ballot and pass it through the same process. That  means, for either bill to change any part of the law, it needs a majority vote in the Legislature and then a majority vote on the ballot.

"This is the the problem with passing our laws through the initiative process, is that it is not easy to amend," said Mary Beth Moylan, law professor at University of the Pacific.