Crime has been a see-saw issue in California for most of the last 40 years. Leniency was the vogue for awhile recently. But now the balance is back to getting tougher, as polls this fall showed many voters believed property crimes have vastly increased since the 2014 passage of Proposition 47.

Frustrated with what they see as rampant retail crimes, voters approved an initiative making shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders again and increasing penalties for some drug charges, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

Now, certain drug offenses and thefts under $950 can be classified as felonies rather than misdemeanors if the suspected perpetrator has two or more past convictions for theft crimes.

Ballots are still being counted in California, but Proposition 36 has already passed. The measure restores felony status to some nonviolent crimes like repeat shoplifting in the Golden State. It also increases penalties for drug possession,