Opinion: Prop 36 would harm immigrant and Latinx communities

This month, La Opinión published an editorial in support of Proposition 36, which would send people to jail or prison for years for low-level, nonviolent offenses, such as drug possession or shoplifting, that are better addressed by care and fully funded social safety nets. As the council member representing Los Angeles City Council District 1 and the daughter of Mexican immigrants, it pains me to see an outlet so many of my neighbors rely on promote a proposition that is harmful for our communities. Criminalizing poverty and mental illness won’t end it – in fact, doing so only perpetuates the cycle and sets us back even further in delivering lasting public safety in our city. 

While increasing spending on incarceration, Prop 36 would simultaneously remove $100 million each year in funding for successful care programs that help lift people out of desperate situations. To put it into perspective, Prop 36 would more harshly punish the mother who works two jobs but shoplifts food or diapers for her children because she still can’t afford them. It would punish the loved ones using drugs to self-medicate their mental health needs because they can’t access the care and treatment they need to get well. It would incarcerate the teens who get into trouble because they don’t have the school programs they need to succeed. 

Los Angeles resident Francisco Villaruel was once one of those teens caught in a cycle of trouble, frequently in and out of the juvenile system due to bad influences and a lack of direction. Everything changed for him when he connected with organizations like the Amity Foundation. These programs help people meet their basic needs, access therapy, set goals for their life and start to meet them so they can start moving away from the cycle of incarceration. 

Amity Foundation is one of the organizations that would lose funding if Prop 36 passes. For Francisco, the support he received upon re-entry helped him land on his feet, develop a strong support network, and ultimately pursue higher education. Today, he is a graduate student in the Master of Social Work program at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs. Francisco’s potential is immense, and without this second chance, he may never have been able to realize it.  

Latino youth aren’t the only ones at risk because of Prop 36. When I think of the damages Prop 36 poses, I think of our immigrant community, who make up 33% of the Los Angeles metro area. The harsher sentences that accompany Prop 36 would increase the risk of deportation. People with children, DACA recipients, survivors of domestic violence, asylum seekers and people who have lived here and contributed to our city for decades may be ripped from their families and returned to a country they barely know. 

Prop 36 also invites the harsh scrutiny of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) into our neighborhoods, leading to more arrests and a deeper sense of fear within immigrant communities. With the looming threat of a Trump presidency more imminent than ever, now is the time for cities like Los Angeles to be leading the charge in standing up to anti-immigrant policies.

We all want solutions to problems like addiction and homelessness. We all want safety and accountability. We all want clean streets and parks. But throwing more people into prison for longer isn’t the answer. It’s expensive, it’s inhumane, it’s ineffective, and it’s counterproductive. That’s why I’ve been fighting alongside community members for years to make sure we increase access to drug treatment and mental health programs — the programs proven to effectively address the problems head-on. 

Since taking office at the end of 2022, I have prioritized a Care First agenda that focuses on investing in community care, workforce development, social services, and harm-reduction programs that help make our neighborhoods safer and healthier places for all. That’s because simply giving people harsher punishments doesn't deter crime. We’ve seen what a trillion dollars spent on the war on drugs has gotten us. A nationwide overdose epidemic, bloated jail budgets, and deported and broken families. If we want to change things for the better, we must protect the resources that keep people out of the carceral system, get them housed, offer help regardless of immigration status, and keep families together. 

These programs work. But Prop 36 would defund these proven solutions, tossing people into prison until they are eventually released and potentially repeating the cycle. This is not a proposition that works for the people of Los Angeles; it works for big corporations, prison lobbyists and right-wing interests, who profit from more incarceration.

But together, we can create a Los Angeles where every resident, regardless of their background, can access the resources they need to feel safe and cared for. For the good of all, we must vote NO on Proposition 36.