By Stacy Lee
San Marino can be added to the growing list of California cities that experienced a crime increase this year with the California ballot initiative Prop 47 appearing to be the possible culprit.
“Here in San Marino, we’ve had a 37 percent increase in (residential) burglaries over last year,” city Police Chief John Incontro said. “That’s significant. One thing that we’ve been fortunate on that other cities in the San Gabriel Valley has been increase in larceny thefts.”
Prop 47, or The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, was approved Nov. 4, 2014 by nearly 60 percent of California voters. It reduces property theft crimes involving less than $950 and certain drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. The proposition’s approval allowed the state to release thousands of low-level offenders from prison and also could qualify thousands more for early release. It is supposed to utilize the money saved on prison costs for mental health services, drug rehabilitation programs, victim compensation and education.
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