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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsCriminal IssuesCaliforniaPublic PolicyCriminal Justice ReformRetail TheftProposition 47States: California•••Started 4mos agoActive 2wks ago

Should California lower the $950 threshold for theft so that repeat shoplifters can be charged with felonies again?

In 2014, California voters passed Proposition 47, which raised the threshold for felony theft from $400 to $950, meaning thefts under that amount are charged as misdemeanors. While intended to reduce prison overcrowding and save money, critics blame this policy for a perceived surge in 'smash-and-grab' robberies and a general sense of lawlessness, as retailers claim police rarely pursue misdemeanor shoplifting. A proposed ballot initiative seeks to roll this back, allowing prosecutors to stack petty thefts into felony charges for repeat offenders and adding new penalties for organ…  

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 146 America voters.

68%
Yes
32%
No
63%
Yes
27%
No
5%
Yes, 'catch and release' policies have turned California into a looting paradise
3%
No, the $950 limit is actually lower than Texas and the media is manufacturing a panic
0%
Yes, businesses are fleeing the state because there are zero consequences for theft
2%
No, we should focus on addiction and poverty, not locking people up for stealing sneakers
1%
No, mass incarceration for petty theft is a failed strategy that bankrupts the state

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 146 America voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 146 America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @5RZYXBB  from California  answered…2wks2W

No, but we should continue to charge felonies on repeat offenders under Prop 36.

 @2WSRCHP from Illinois  answered…1mo1MO

no, fix the structural issues in society that are the root causes of theft

 @2WSRCHP from Illinois  answered…1mo1MO

Yes if we simultaneously address the root causes of theft first by implementing UBI or some other form of social welfare

 @BC6XVZ4 from California  answered…3mos3MO

We should not lower the threshold for theft. However, if the individual is a repeat offender, they should then be charged with a felony.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Israeli Bombings Kill 2,300 In Lebanon in 3 weeks

Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.The Israeli military has ordered people living in more than a quarter of Lebanon to flee, according to a UN calculation, as its fight with the Iran-backed Shia militant group Hizbollah threatens to engulf the Mediterranean country.Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.More than 1mn people have fled their homes in Lebanon in under a month, according to its government, a dramatic forced movement of the population in a country of only about 5mn inhabitants with a land mass smaller than the US state of Connecticut. Israeli forces began a ground offensive in south Lebanon two weeks ago, in their fourth invasion of the country in under five decades. They had already destroyed large parts of the densely populated southern Beirut suburb where Hizbollah had its headquarters, and killed many top militant commanders in air strikes, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah.Rema Jamous Imseis, Middle East director of UNHCR, told journalists in Geneva that “over 25 per cent of [Lebanon is] under a direct Israeli military evacuation order”. “People are heeding these calls to evacuate and they’re fleeing with almost nothing,” she added, saying that 80 per cent of the shelters opened by the Lebanese government — mostly in schools — were now full.

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About This Data

Based on 146 responses to this question.

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should California lower the $950 threshold for theft so that repeat shoplifters can be charged with felonies again?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 18, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/poll/5546815251

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